According to TCHRD (
18 February 18;
29 December 16;
23 December 16) and RFA (
20 February 18), on December 9, 2016, state security officers in Haiyan (Dazhi) county, Haibei (Tsojang) TAP, Qinghai province, detained Tsegon Gyal and detained him at Haibei's Gangcha (Kangtsa) County PSB Detention Center. On December 24, officials arrested him on the charge of inciting separatism (
CL, art. 103(2)). On May 3, 2017, the Haibei (Tsojang) Intermediate People's Court held a closed trial, and on January 10, 2018, sentenced him to 3 years in prison. Authorities transferred him to Dongchuan Prison in Xining municipality, Qinghai. Previously, Qinghai officials detained Tsegon Gyal on May 7, 1993. On July 28, 1994, the Haixi Intermediate People's Court sentenced him to 6 years in prison for espionage and 11 years for participating in a "counterrevolutionary group." The court consolidated the sentence to a 16-year fixed term. Tsegon Gyal and co-defendant
Namlo Yag, sentenced to 12 years on the same charges, appealed. On July 11, 1997, the Qinghai High People's Court ruled the initial determination to be inaccurate and resentenced Tsegon Gyal and Nam Loyag to 6 and 4 years’ imprisonment, respectively, on a charge of "splitting the country."