Media Profile & Archive — Yeshe Choedron (益西曲珍). This archive preserves the source basis, the identification method, and the limits of the evidence behind the Person Profile. It supports Yeshe Choedron (益西曲珍).
Person profile
Yeshe Choedron (益西曲珍) — Tibetan retired doctor from Lhasa, arrested March 2008, sentenced to 15 years for “espionage” by the Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court on November 7, 2008, held in Drapchi Prison; listed in the Issue 131 roster (August 31, 2026) in the “sentenced to 15 years” group. Present custody status is not independently confirmed: her nominal term would have ended in November 2023, yet no release has been reported and the August 2026 roster still lists her in custody.
Identification method
The Issue 131 roster’s English edition lists “Yixi Quzhen(Tibetan)” first in its “Sentenced to 15 years, 15 people” group. The report’s Chinese edition lists “益西曲珍（藏）、迪克坦开（藏）、牙里坤.肉孜（维吾尔）、陈杰人…” in the same order in its “判刑15年，15人” section. 益西曲珍（藏） occupies the “Yixi Quzhen(Tibetan)” position. Independent sources then confirmed the equation: the International Campaign for Tibet’s political-prisoner record gives “Chinese Name: 益西曲珍 / Pinyin Name: Yixi Quzhen” for the Tibetan retired doctor Yeshe Choedron, sentenced to 15 years on November 7, 2008; Human Rights Watch renders her “Yeshe Choedron [Ch. Yixi Quzhen]” in its 2010 report on the 2008 crackdown.
Source chronology
- March 2008 — arrest. Yeshe Choedron, a retired doctor, was arrested at her home in Lhasa in March 2008, during the crackdown following the March 2008 protests. (International Campaign for Tibet; Human Rights Watch 2019.)
- November 7, 2008 — sentencing. The Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court sentenced her to 15 years’ imprisonment on “espionage” charges, for allegedly providing “intelligence and information harmful to the security and interests of the state” to “the Dalai clique’s security department.” Reported by the official Lhasa Evening News (November 8, 2008); documented by Human Rights Watch (2010) and ICT.
- April 4, 2012 — emergency hospitalization. She was taken from Drapchi Prison to the Lhasa City Public Security Hospital for emergency treatment. (Human Rights Watch, 2019.) Tibetan sources cited by ICT describe her as being in very poor health and denied visits from her children.
- July 14, 2016 — Medal of Courage. The inaugural Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Medal of Courage was awarded to Yeshe Choedron, then recorded as serving her 15-year sentence. (Tibet Society.)
- August 31, 2026 — Issue 131 roster. The Rights Defense Network lists “Yixi Quzhen(Tibetan)” / 益西曲珍（藏） in its “sentenced to 15 years” group and classifies its roster entries as political prisoners and prisoners of conscience currently in custody.
Source grading
- Human Rights Watch, “I Saw It with My Own Eyes” (2010) — established international human-rights reporting; strong for the 2008 sentencing (court, date, charge, Chinese-name rendering), citing the official Lhasa Evening News.
- International Campaign for Tibet priority-prisoners record — recognized Tibet monitoring organization; strong for identity anchors (Chinese name 益西曲珍, pinyin Yixi Quzhen, Tibetan name, espionage conviction, November 7, 2008 sentence date, Drapchi, expected release November 7, 2023).
- Human Rights Watch (2019) — corroborates the 2008 sentencing and adds the 2012 emergency hospitalization.
- Issue 131 report (Chinese + English) — the roster source; strong for the current-listing facts (name position, Tibetan designation, 15-year group, in-custody classification as of August 31, 2026).
Conflicts and caveats
- Present custody status is unresolved. The nominal end of the 15-year term (November 7, 2023) has passed; no source confirms a release, and no source confirms continued detention beyond the dated roster classification. Do not assert either.
- The “espionage” conviction is a fact of the official record as reported by the Lhasa Evening News; ICT and Tibetan sources describe the charges as unfounded — kept attributed, never converted into an independently verified fact.
- Health details (very poor health, denied children’s visits) come from Tibetan sources via ICT, attributed accordingly — not independently verified.
- Spelling variants Yeshi Choedon / Yeshe Choedron / Yixi Quzhen all refer to this person; Badang Yixi, Baima Yixi, and Li Yixing are different people.
Evidentiary limits
No court judgment, police record, or family testimony beyond the cited reports was located. No PRC official statement on her current status was found. Absence of release reporting is not evidence of continued detention.