Tibetan NGOs strongly condemn Chinese court's verdict of sentencing three Tibetan women for the charges relating to arson cases of 14 March 2008.
File photos from left: Penkyi, who was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve; Penkyi, who received life imprisonment; and, Chime Lhamo, who was given 10 years in prison by a Chinese court in Lhasa for setting fires that killed six people in the Lhasa riot last year. Exile Tibetans say the convicts had not received fair and open trial. File photo/TCHRD handout/Tibet
Xinhua, the official mouthpiece of Chinese government, today reported the sentencing of Penkyi (aged 21) of Sakya County to "suspended death penalty", Penkyi (aged 23) from Nyinmo County to life term and Chime Lhamo (aged 20) to 10 years imprisonment for starting fires in two downtown clothing shops on March 14, 2008.
The Exile Tibetan NGOs urge the Chinese authority to conduct fair and open trails for the convicted Tibetans. We also call on the Chinese authorities to respect human rights laws and give rights to all the detained Tibetans to independently choose their own lawyers, as mentioned in two-year human rights action plan issued by the Chinese government on 13 April 2009.
The Chinese authorities - by sentencing the three Tibetan women - truly undermine the clauses of the international human rights bodies and governments amidst the global economic recession where it is believed to have an upper hand. This kind of inhuman behavior is intolerable, and therefore, we urge all the freedom loving people of the world to support us during this critical period facing Tibet and Tibetans.
Today's sentence follows two weeks after the Lhasa Intermediate People's Court sentenced five Tibetans on charges of arson case. On April 8, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were given death sentences with immediate effect, while Tenzin Phuntsok and Khantsug received death sentence with two years reprieve and Dawa Sangpo was sentenced to life in jail.
The inhuman treatment of Tibetans inside of Tibet is appalling and such henious acts is a sheer violation of international human rights laws. Therefore, we call on the International bodies, Governments, and Human Rights activists to assert pressure on the Chinese government to comply with the international human rights accords and to significantly ensure that all accused receive fair and open trial and that justice doesn't evade the fate of the Tibetans inside Tibet.