Chinese investigators punished 15 Communist Party officials in Tibet who allegedly provided intelligence to the Dalai Lama, joined independence organizations or engaged in activities that could hurt China’s security, a disciplinary agency said.

The Communist Party Disciplinary Commission of Tibet “penalized” the officials for violating party and political discipline last year, the agency said in a statement on its website today, without giving any more information.

China accuses the Dalai Lama of waging a campaign for independence, while he says he is seeking autonomy for Tibet. He fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against occupation by the Chinese Communist Party. Thousands of Tibetans have died since then as a result of China’s policies, according to the International Campaign for Tibet.

The statement outlined the disciplinary committee’s work in 2014, much of which was focused on rooting out corruption among Party officials. The committee penalized a total of 138 Communist Party officials for various misdemeanors last year, it said.