Tenzin NyidonDHARAMSHALA, Aug. 7: Human rights watch dog Amnesty International has called on Chinese authorities to immediately release veteran Chinese pro-democracy activist Zhang Yi, condemning his arrest in Tibet after he allegedly showed a photograph of the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to a worshipper inside Sera monastery in Lhasa. “This case bears all the hallmarks of the Chinese authorities’ long-standing misuse of the offence of ‘inciting separatism’ to criminalize peaceful expression in Tibet and in relation to Tibetan history, culture, and religious belief,” Brooks said. According to an arrest notice received by Zhang’s family on August 5, 2026, and reviewed by Amnesty International, the activist was formally arrested on July 28, 2026, on suspicion of “inciting separatism,” while his family was notified by telephone two days later. Chinese authorities have not publicly disclosed the specific factual basis for the charge. Amnesty noted that Zhang’s detention coincided with the implementation of China’s Ethnic Unity Law, which came into force on July 1, the same day he was taken into custody.