Large numbers of monks and nuns involved in peaceful protests have been detained without trial. Many have been released after four to nine months, but in most cases had been severely tortured. Others remain in jail. Reports have been received of monks being sent to China for re-education. The authorities have also stepped up their political re-education campaigns at monastic institutions, especially since the unrest in Lhasa in May 1993.
Religious education is banned from schools.
The head of the monastery is appointed by the Religious Affairs Bureau, a state-run body founded in 1952. The Chinese authorities appoint a Democratic Committee for Monastic Affairs within each monastery, which acts as a liaison group with the local government. Monks are examined for political correctness and trained under Party supervision. Discovery of new incarnations is controlled and in certain cases has been proscribed by the authorities. According to witness reports, permission is usually required when a temple, or even a statue, is to be restored.