Phuntsog Nyidron

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Phuntsog Nyidron is a Tibetan Buddhist nun born in 1969 who was imprisoned by the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1989 and released in 2004. She was kept under house arrest until March 2006 when she could travel to the US for medical treatment. ^[1]

1 Background
2 See also
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Background

Phuntsog Nyidron was imprisoned for "counter-revolutionary propaganda" in 1989. She spent fifteen years in prison before being released on 26 February, 2004 following calls for her release by several United States senators and congressmen. She was the last of fourteen nuns who had been imprisoned during the 1980s and early 1990s to be released.^[1]

John Kamm, director of Dui Hua Foundation who played a major in her release said she was prevented to leave sooner for medical treatment abroad because the authorities refused to grant her a passport while her political rights were under restriction. John Kamm stated that “Chinese law is very clear on this point, Chinese citizens cannot be denied passports simply because their political rights have been deprived by a court. The police may deny a passport to a person the government considers may create a threat to national security or do serious harm to national interests, but exclusion on such grounds should be the rare exception rather than the norm. We hope that the proper application of Chinese law regarding passports in the case of Phuntsog Nyidron represents the recognition that ex-prisoners whose political rights are suspended have the right to hold passports and travel abroad.” ^[2]