Tibetan man released after five years in prison for publicly supporting Dalai Lama

Sonam Dhargyal.

A Tibetan man has been released from prison in eastern Tibet after serving five years for publicly supporting the Dalai Lama, a source said.

Sonam Dhargyal from Ngaba County, which is governed as part of  Sichuan Province, was released on 30 March and is reported to be in normal health.

He was arrested in 2015 after he went to a religious festival in Gomon Monastery, Ngaba County, with a flag and a picture of the Dalai Lama.

Dhargyal has a wife called Yangzom and three children. 

Officials reportedly told his family not to meet him with more than three people during his release from prison. He went back to his village where residents welcomed him with applause and burned incense.

The news comes after Free Tibet reported the arrest of two Tibetans from the TAR in December 2019 on suspicion of loyalty to the Dalai Lama and listening to his teachings.