After seven and a half years in prison, Tibetan environmental defender A-Nya Sengdra has been released from Chinese prison.
A-Nya 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. This was enough to mark him a threat to the Chinese government. 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. In December 2019, in a sham trial, A-Nya Sengdra was found guilty and sentenced to seven years in prison. Throughout his imprisonment, all appeals for his retrial were rejected by the Chinese courts, his health deteriorated, and his family was only permitted to visit him twice.
He was initially due for release on September 4, 2025, but, without explanation or due process, the Chinese government extended his sentence..
As of February 7, 2026, details regarding A-Nya’s freedom of movement remain unclear. He is in poor health: kidney disease, vision loss and high blood pressure. Even though he has been released, the Chinese government has a well-documented track record of continuing to surveil, intimidate and harass human rights defenders. SFT will continue to monitor his case.
