[1] Drapchi is named after its location and was originally a military garrison until it was converted into a prison after the 1959 Tibetan Uprising.
Reports of brutality have been alleged by Tibetan exile groups.
[3] In November 1994, 13 nuns were sent to Drapchi to serve a 5-year sentence for endangering state security by protests against the Chinese rule in Lhasa.
The week-long strike caused the prison officers some concern that it might damage the reputation of the prison further if the inmates died as a result and promised an end to the brutality.
[5] According to the same source, between 1997 and 2004, it had invested "more than 60 million yuan in the construction of software and hardware facilities, which has improved the overall appearance of the prison".