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3 Tibetans undergo harsh prison terms on charges of leaking out information during 2008 protests
[Thursday, 10 September 2009, 1:53 p.m.]
Dharamshala: Three Tibetan men are undergoing eight years to life imprisonment and held incommunicado on charges on leaking out secret information to the outside world during the peaceful protests in Tibet's capital Lhasa last year.
The three former political prisoners - Wangdue, Phuntsok Dorjee and Tsewang Dorjee - received the verdict from the Lhasa Intermediate People's Court in October 2008.
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Wangdue, aged 39, undergo life
imprisonment
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Wangdue, aged 39, born in Taktse County under Lhasa Municipality, was sentenced to life imprisonment with his political rights to be withheld till the end of this life. Earlier, he spent three years in jail in Lhasa's Sangyib prison for taking part in a protests on 8 March 1989 when he was a monk of Tsuglagkhang. In 1991, he joined his prison mates in the peaceful campaign to mark the subjugation of Chamdo by the Chinese government for which his jail term was extended by four years. He was released from Drabchi prison in Lhasa in 1999. Since then he is working with an NGO associated with promoting public awareness on HIV/AIDS in Lhasa. He is married and has children.
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Phuntsok Dorjee, aged 40, sentenced to 9
years in prison
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Phuntsok Dorjee, aged 40, a former staff of Gangjong guest house in Lhasa was sentenced to nine years in jail. His political rights will be suppressed for five years. In 1989, the Chinese government handed down a rigorous imprisonment of 10 years for his role in the political campaigns. He sentenced was commuted to 8 years owing to his service as cook at the prison.
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Tsewang Dorjee, aged 40, gets 8-year
imprisonment
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Tsewang Dorjee, aged around 40, born in Pasho County in Chamdo Prefecture, received 8-year imprisonment with his political rights to be withheld for five years. He was a permanent resident of Tsemon-Ling area in Lhasa and a scroll painter by profession. In March 1989, he was sent to 3 years in Sangyib prison for taking part in the peaceful protests in Lhasa.
Update on Tibetan casualties under China's crackdown since March 2008
Following are the number of Tibetans, who died, imprisoned, injured and disappeared following the Chinese government's brutal suppression of the Tibetan people's peaceful protests though out Tibet since 10 March 2008.
3 March 2008 – 31 August 2009
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Dead
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223
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Injured
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1294
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Arrested or Detained
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4657
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Missing
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990
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Sentenced
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371
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Since 10 March 2008, the total number of Tibetans detained or arrested through out Tibet is recorded around 5857, out of which an unknown number of detainees, who received varying prison terms ranging from one to one-and- a-half-year were already released. Those released are included in the list of 1200 Tibetans known to have released by the Chinese government.
Amongst those missing, many are believed to have died, sentenced and released. However, as per information received by the Central Tibetan Administration, the number of Tibetans sentenced is far less in comparison to the total number of arrests and detentions.
During the course of sentencing those arrested or detained, the verdicts were passed either passed arbitrarily or without going through proper legal procedures. The maximum punishment delivered till date is death sentences to five Tibetans and life imprisonment for nine others. Some of those sentenced are being kept in solitary confinement.
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