Tibetan Youth Congress Condemns Chinese Court's Foul Verdict

Tibetan Youth Congress Condemns Chinese Court's Foul Verdict
China abuses the judiciary system to wrongly accuse and convict innocent Tibetan freedom fighters
Date: April 9, 2009

Just twelve days after the Communist Chinese Government elaborately commemorated the so called 'emancipation of millions of Tibetan serfs', the state controlled Lhasa Municipal Intermediate People's Court passed down death sentences and life imprisonment to five Tibetans. This heinous act, exemplifying abuse of the judiciary with impunity, further underlines the Chinese communist government's fifty years of disparaging occupation of Tibet and its fatal ongoing policy of destroying the Tibetans as a race, culture and people.

Pertaining to last year's peaceful uprising of Tibetans against Chinese rule, the court accused Lobsang Gyaltsen of arson of two garment shops, killing a shop owner, and was sentenced to death. Loyak, was given the death penalty for his role in the burning of a motorcycle shop that killed three people and two employees. Two other Tibetans, Tenzin Phuntsok and Kangtsuk, have been given suspended death sentences with two year reprieve. Another Tibetan named Dawa Sangpo has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) strongly condemns the highly biased and politically motivated verdict of the court and the judiciary system of China which purposely serves to meet the demands and wishes of the Chinese Communist Government and its policies. TYC maintains that the trial wasn't conducted in accordance with international law and standards which fundamentally gives the defendant the right to a fair trial and the right to chose an attorney.

TYC further argues that if Tibetans really enjoy basic rights inside Tibet as proclaimed by China, then the government, according to its so called regional ethnic autonomy law and policies, should be magnanimous enough to withdraw the court sentences and conduct the trial in a fair and open court with attorney of the defendant's choice and representatives either from independent human rights monitoring organizations or the United nations.

Since the occupation of Tibet in 1959, China has abused the judiciary system to wrongly accuse and convict innocent Tibetan freedom fighters.

more information:
New Yorker Tibetans took to the street to protest against the China's Death Sentencing of Tibetans
Urgent Mass Protest to withdraw the death sentences