How long does good news remain good news for a wrongly imprisoned individual in China?
Like Patrick McGoohan’s Number Six, repeatedly caught in a still-larger trap after he seemingly escapes the Village and repeatedly ending up back where he started, political prisoners in China aren’t necessarily free after getting out of prison.
First, they’re still in China—not good—and may have no inclination to leave China even if they have any means of leaving it. (It is almost impossible for many Tibetans to get a passport.) Second, now that the state is paying special attention to them, former prisoners may now have even less freedom than many other Chinese.
This seems to be the situation of Tibetan Golok Palden, caught “singing a patriotic song.” He’s out, released earlier than expected (Phayul, October 7, 2024).
A Tibetan singer who was sentenced to three years in prison by Chinese authorities for performing a patriotic song has reportedly been released early, but remains under strict surveillance and restrictions.
Golok Palden, from Yostag village in Dhimda township of Golok Padma County, was released on September 25, several months before completing his original prison term. Sources indicate he has been explicitly warned against singing any more patriotic songs.
The singer was initially imprisoned in November of the previous year after performing the song “I Am the Messenger of the Emperor” online. His arrest and sentencing were carried out secretly by Chinese authorities.
According to Tibet Times, which cited an anonymous Tibetan source from Tibet, Palden’s release came without prior notice to his family. While the reasons for his early release remain unclear, reports suggest he is being closely monitored and followed by authorities.
Palden is fairly well known in Tibet, and his social media account had accrued almost 100,000 followers by the time of his arrest. In a February 2024 story, Phayul reported that he had been detained and “sentenced to three years in prison following a secret trial in November last year.” The crime: performing “Messenger of [Tibetan] Empire” during a singing contest in December 2022, a performance shown online.
Now he’s out. But is he really out? And what happens if he sings another song?
