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According to an arrest notice received by his family on 5 August and seen by Amnesty International, Zhang Yi was formally arrested on 28 July 2026 on suspicion of “inciting separatism”(煽动分裂国家罪). His family was informed of the arrest by telephone on 30 July.
Zhang Yi was detained by police in Lhasa on 1 July 2026 while visiting Sera Monastery in Tibet with his younger brother. After he was unable to communicate verbally with a Tibetan worshipper from whom he wished to borrow a prayer mat, Zhang Yi showed the person a photograph of the Dalai Lama on his mobile phone. According to his family abroad, two plainclothes men observed the interaction and appeared to record Zhang Yi and his brother as they left the prayer area. Police detained Zhang Yi before he had left the monastery.
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