However, protest and political imprisonment have largely increased in the rural areas of central Tibet. The majority of political prisoners continue to be monks and nuns. Yet dissenting young Tibetans, teachers, and lay people represent a new wave of Tibetan nationalism and face drastic, sometimes ferocious, punishment. Many Tibetan prisoners have been arrested without warrant, arbitrarily detained, or imprisoned on the suspicion of harboring or expressing anti-Chinese opinions. Hundreds of Tibetans, including those detained for long periods without formal charges and those arrested for crimes of endangering state security, have been incarcerated with rare access to legal counsel.
Chinese law allows administrative detention, or re-education, for up to three years without trial.
Detention can also be followed by arrest, leading to criminal sentencing and imprisonment. The longer sentences range between 12 and 19 years and are usually given to Tibetans in positions of leadership and people who spread ideas through writing or speaking. Sentence extensions for breaching prison discipline are regarded among prisoners as a major threat. Torture continues on a wide scale in prisons, detention centers, and labor camps throughout Tibet. Gender specific torture includes subjecting women to humiliation and sexual abuse.