Dorje Tashi was sentenced on June 26 in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, said Urgen Tenzin, director of the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.Dorje Tashi, believed to be in his mid-30s, is the operator of the Yak Hotel, the most famous hotel in Lhasa. He met Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in 2005, two years after joining the ruling Communist Party.The general manager of the Yak Hotel, Wang Jiu, confirmed Dorje Tashi was sentenced but would not comment further.
According to Lhasa-based website Tibet Commercial Web, Dorje Tashi has been a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, an advisory body to the government, and was named one of “10 outstanding youth of Tibet”.

He was detained, however, in a security crackdown soon after the rioting.

With no word from the Chinese government, the exact charge against Dorje Tashi was not known. “He was charged with funding some outside Tibetan groups,” Urgen Tenzin said.