Last July, in a Tibetan-inhabited area of Sichuan province, a Buddhist monk was apprehended for possessing a photograph of the Dalai Lama, as informed by two sources within Tibet to Radio Free Asia. Since then, his whereabouts have remained undisclosed.

Tenzin Khenrap, aged 29, was detained by Chinese authorities in July 2023 on the grounds of having a portrait of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader on his mobile phone, along with other literature and documents published outside Tibet.

Khenrap, hails from Nyagchu county in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.

China views the Dalai Lama and Tibetans residing in exile as separatists, deeming possession of the spiritual leader’s image or communication with overseas Tibetans as acts of separatism, punishable offenses.

Chinese authorities enforce stringent controls on the circulation of information to and from Tibet’s regions, often resulting in delays of weeks or months before details of arrests and incidents within Tibet emerge.