; Whereas at least 24 persons were hospitalized with gunshot wounds on that occasion; Whereas, on July 16, 2015, prison officials cremated the body of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche against the wishes of his family and despite protests by local people; Whereas, on July 17, 2015, police seized the ashes of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche from a group of family members and disciples who were escorting the ashes back to Lithang; Whereas, on July 17, 2015, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s sister and her daughter were seized by police officers in Lithang, held incommunicado for the next 14 days, and remain under virtual house arrest and heavy surveillance; and Whereas local people from Lithang and Nyagchu, especially the monks and nuns affiliated with Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s monasteries, were prohibited from carrying out funeral rituals, prayers, and other day-to-day religious ceremonies, and the area remains under heavy surveillance with an increased military presence: Now, therefore, be it