Three prisoners who shouted political slogans reportedly were beaten and held in solitary confinement for a lengthy period before having their prison terms extended between three and ten years. Prison conditions in Tibet, as in China, were said to be poor, frequently resulting in prisoners' ill-health. Some prisoners were also believed to have died as a result of punishment. Yeshe Samten, a monk, died on May 6, six days after he was released from Trisam prison, reportedly as a result of torture he had suffered during his two-year sentence. The E.U. ministers reported that they were told there were some 1,800 prisoners in Tibet, of whom some 200 were held for state security crimes.
Unofficial figures are much higher.
Chinese authorities repeatedly denied requests, including by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, for access to the boy. Xinjiang Separatist activity continued in the Muslim region of Xinjiang, but strict censorship of the media and restrictions on access made it almost impossible to obtain accurate information. Scattered incidents, such as a gun battle in April in Ili during which at least two Uighurs and one policeman were killed and a bombing in Khotan in August, indicate continuing violence on the part of both parties. But the elections themselves were structured so that the democrats could always be outvoted by pro-government elites. There were other worrying signs as well.