Palden Gyatso, a Tibetan Buddhist scholar who spent three decades as a political prisoner, will give a public lecture tonight at the Lawrence Arts Center, 940 N.H.

The lecture, “Freedom, Dignity and Justice in the Land of Snows,” will start at 7 p.m.

Gyatso, the author of “The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk,” was arrested in 1959 for protesting against the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He was held in prison and labor camps and was tortured for 33 years before being released and heading to India.

Gyatso has been participating in discussions, lectures and book signings for the past week in events sponsored by the Hall Center for the Humanities.