More than nine months after Tibetan Buddhist leader and educator Choktrul Dorje Ten Rinpoche was detained by Chinese authorities in Qinghai, his whereabouts and well-being remain unknown, the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) reported on September 21, 2026.
Family members and students have submitted seven separate formal appeals to Chinese authorities requesting information about his whereabouts and physical well-being, according to sources cited by ICT. Chinese authorities have not responded to any of them.
A relative of Choktrul Dorje Ten living in exile told ICT that the complete absence of any verifiable information over the past nine months has sparked grave concern among his family members and students about whether he is even alive.
Choktrul Dorje Ten, also known as Choktrul Thubten Yeshe Nyima, was detained on or around December 4, 2025. A respected religious and community leader, he served as the head of Minthang Osel Thegchok Chokhorling Monastery in Minthang Township, Chikdril (Jiuzhi) County, Golog (Guoluo) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, and founded the Dorje Ten Ethnic Vocational School, a Tibetan-medium instruction school that was forcibly closed after his detention.
The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances transmitted his case to the Chinese government under its urgent procedure in its July 16 report (A/HRC/WGEID/139/1), ICT said. In a resolution adopted April 30, the European Parliament called for his immediate release. Amnesty International launched an Urgent Action campaign for the Tibetan lama in April.
Since his detention, Chinese authorities have systematically shut down several educational and cultural institutions he founded, according to ICT: the Nyenpo Yutse Primary School, the Mayang Lhakhar Chukmo Gesar Cultural Propagation Center, the Gesar Cultural Heritage Base, and the Mayang Chugmo Gesar Culture Training Center. Local authorities have also banned members from discussing organizational matters, permanently closed related WeChat groups, and placed the community under heightened surveillance and strict restrictions.
Born on October 25, 1967, Choktrul Dorje Ten studied Buddhist teachings in the Nyingma tradition, including under Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok, and earned the title of Khenpo at Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in Sertar — one of the world’s largest Tibetan Buddhist learning institutes. He was previously celebrated by Chinese authorities for his promotion of education and vocational training.
The Free China Movement has called for the publication of the legal basis for the reported demolitions at Larung Gar and continues to track the cases of detained Tibetan religious and cultural leaders.
Sources
- International Campaign for Tibet, “Nine months after his detention, prominent Tibetan Buddhist leader Choktrul Dorje Ten’s whereabouts, well-being remain unknown,” September 21, 2026
- Tibet Express, “Tibetan Buddhist Leader Choktrul Dorje Ten Missing Nine Months After Detention,” September 22, 2026
- Amnesty International, Urgent Action ASA 17/0902/2026, “Tibetan religious leader disappeared,” April 20, 2026