On the tapes made in Drapchi Prison the voices of the nuns ring out. Among them a Buddhist nun whose crime is the continued expression of her belief that Tibet should be independent from China. The tape, made in 1993, feature pro-independence songs smuggled out to supporters of Sangdrol and 13 other nuns in jail for their beliefs. When it was discovered that the tape was circulating around Tibet, Sangdrol's three-year sentence was trebled.
She had been arrested after a peaceful demonstration that lasted all of five minutes. In prison, where Tibetan detainees are said to be tortured, she has continued to state her beliefs. Two years ago her sentence was doubled to 18 years - the longest passed on a female political prisoner in Tibet.
Last May, after a demonstration in the prison, she and other inmates were beaten and held in solitary confinement for months. Concern grows for their safety amid unconfirmed reports that five political prisoners have died in Drapchi.