Anya is a nomadic community leader from Kyangchu, Golog, Tibet. He founded “Mangdon Ling” (Public Affairs Forum), where he mobilized his local community to advocate against illegal mining, wildlife poaching, and local government corruption. 

In 2018, A-Nya was detained on fabricated charges of “gathering people to disturb public order” and “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” – common charges Chinese authorities bring to criminalize dissent. 

On December 6, 2019, in a sham trial, A-Nya Sengdra was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. A number of Tibetan human rights groups and his lawyer began to appeal for his release. All appeals for his retrial have been rejected by the Chinese courts.

There has been no official confirmation of Anya Sengdra’s release, no disclosure of his current location, and reports from his family indicate that his health is deteriorating. His brother Jimtri, who was also detained in 2018, died in Chinese custody under unexplained circumstances. The burden of proof lies with the Chinese government to demonstrate that Anya will be released safely. Given the rejection of all retrial appeals and the complete absence of transparency surrounding his detention, there is every reason to act now.