To All Living
Things
Last Week's Column
Amesty
Action:
Death as a Result of Ill-Treatment and Torture
by Kathy Gay
his
week’s action from
Amnesty International concerns the death of
a novice Tibetan nun who was only twelve years old when
she was arrested during a peaceful pro-independence
demonstration in Lhasa in 1992. She was reportedly beaten
in detention while awaiting trial. She was sentenced to
three years’ "re-education through labor"
and died shortly after her release in 1995.
Specific information about this action is included in the sample letter that follows.
Background Information
Detainees and prisoners held in 
Chinese prisons,
detention centers or labor camps are frequently the
victims of torture and ill-treatment. Such methods of
punishment include beatings, electric shocks, use of
shackles, sleep deprivation and exposure to extremes of
cold or heat. Prison conditions are frequently harsh, and
medical care and food are often inadequate. As a result
many prisoners suffer from serious illnesses.
Tibetan monks and nuns 
make up the majority of
political prisoners in the Tibet Autonomous Region where
dissent against Chinese rule is forbidden. They
frequently receive heavy sentences for their
pro-independence activities.
How you can help
This action expired on January 28, 1997 and its accompanying sample letter removed. Thanks to everyone who sent appeals on behalf of this young Tibetan nun.
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Kathy Gay is a vegan, and has been a member of Amnesty International for nearly 10 years, where she has worked on numerous campaigns. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and is a business analyst for a leading California bank.
Kathy's column, To All Living Things, is a regular feature of VegSource On-Line Magazine.