By Tenzin Chokyi

DHARAMSALA, 7 August: Human rights watchdog Amnesty International has demanded the immediate and unconditional release of prominent Chinese pro-democracy activist Zhang Yi, following his formal arrest in occupied Tibet for displaying a photograph of the Dalai Lama.

In a statement released on 5 August 2026, the organisation’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks called on Chinese authorities to drop all charges against Zhang, a veteran activist from Wuhan, Hubei province, who first entered political activism during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy movement. Zhang was formally arrested on 28 July on suspicion of “inciting separatism,” with his family receiving official notice on 5 August, over a month after he was initially taken into custody in Lhasa.

The incident took place on 1 July while Zhang was visiting the historic Sera Monastery in Tibet w...