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. More sophisticated forms of mistreatment, which leave no visible marks, such as exposure to extreme temperatures, are now used in place of more evident forms of physical abuse. The People s Armed police implement military style drills, which alternate from pushing prisoners to extreme physical exertion to long hours of holding awkward motionless positions. Medical care for prisoners is inadequate. Often, basic first aid for serious injuries or illnesses is unavailable.