Pema Wangchen, a former political detainee in his early thirties, passed away in a hospital in Chengdu on 26 April 2019. His death was linked to the torture he was subjected to while in police custody following his arrest.

He was arrested subsequent to video footage of Pema Wangchen singing the Tibetan national anthem going viral online and coming to the attention of the police. The video was filmed on 13 February 2016 in a public place in Wangchen’s native Kardze County, eastern Tibet, during celebrations of the Tibetan New Year.