HUMAN RIGHTS update is a monthly newsletter of the Reg. no: HP/DMA/105/2008-2010 Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy. www.tchrd.org OCTOBER 2009 TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY VOLUME 3 ISSUE 2 China Executes Four Tibetans In Lhasa CONTENT Over Spring 2008 Protest -China Execute Four Tibetans In Lhasa Over TCHRD condemns in strongest term China’s execution of Spring 2008 Protest (pg 1) four Tibetans - Tibetan Schools closed down in Tibet (pg 2 dead body was later known to have ) The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights been immersed in Kyichu River. and Democracy (TCHRD) has There is no information on whether -A Tibetan returnee from India sentence to received confirmed information from 15 years in prison( pg 4) the defendants appealed their -Eleven missing monks of Pangsa Monastery (pg 3) -Three Tibetans arrested in sog County during the 60th Founding Anniversay of PRC (pg 5) -Three Tibetans sentenced in Kardze Prefecture, Sichuan Province (pg 5) -Tibetans arrested after participating in an insene burning ritual (pg 5) -Another Tibetan returnee sentenced to 14 years in prison (pg 6) - Three Tibetan monks sentenced to various prison terms (pg 6) -A Tibetan monk arrested after raid his resident (pg 6) TCHRD ACTIVITIES BULLETIN Loyak executed on 20 Octcober 2009 -TCHRD organised talk series on Human reliable sources that Lobsang Gyaltsen, Rights and Democracy in South India (pg sentences to the Supreme People’s 7) Loyak, Penkyi and an unnamed Court after Lhasa Municipal Tibetan were executed on Tuesday, 20 -TCHRD briefs Nobel Laureates (pg 7) Intermediate People’s Court October 2009 under the supervision sentenced Lobsang Gyaltsen and of the Lhasa Municipality Loyak to death on 8 April 2009. Intermediate People’s Court for their According to the Chinese official alleged involvement in last year’s mass mouthpiece dated 8 April 2009, protest in the Tibetan capital. Further Lhasa Municipal Intermediate information is awaited. No People’s Court sentenced two people information on their execution was to death (Lobsang Gyaltsen and reported anywhere in the Chinese Loyak), two to suspended death state media. penalties (Tenzin Phuntsok and According to sources, the dead Kangtsuk) and another (Dawa body of Lobsang Gyaltsen, from Sangpo) to life imprisonment on Lubug on the outskirt of Lhasa city, charges of arson causing death. The was handed over to his family and his five were convicted of torching five TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY shops in Lhasa, killing seven people, Tibetan schools closed down in Tibet during the March 14 riot. On 21 April 2009 the same The Chinese authorities in Driru He tesified to TCHRD, “earlier in court, according to the State media, County, Nagchu Prefecture (‘TAR’) 2007, a local Tibtean teacher Tenzin sentenced three Tibetans (Penkyi of shut down schools run by Tibetans Thapkhey built a Vocational Nyemo County and Penkyi of Sakya on alleged grounds of political County and Chime of Namling activism County) to suspended death, life and 10 years’ imprisonment respectively for setting fires that allegedly killed six people in Lhasa last year. The Centre is highly concerned about the fate of Tibetans who were on suspended death sentences. The PRC government currently sentences more people to death each year than any other nation in the world. TCHRD condemns the executions of four Tibetans and urges PRC government to show restraint and to grant its citizens fair trials and to abide by the basic human rights Students group photo session of all of its peoples, regardless of their Education School with financial ethnicity. in early 2009. Nyima Dhondup assistances from International Red TCHRD remains unconditionally from Dhar village (Penka Township, Cross society. There were around opposed to the use of the death Driru County, Nagchu Prefecture 250 students and 20 teachers and penalty in all cases as a violation of (‘TAR’) was a former student of staffs in the school. The primary aim the fundamental right to life and the Vocational Education School who of the school was to empower large right not to be subjected to cruel, testified to the Tibetan Centre for number of Tibetan populace who inhuman or degrading treatment or Human Rights and Democracy lacks basic modern education to lead punishment. It should also be noted (TCHRD) after coming into exile in a better life. It was on these very that the death penalty has never India. reasons Tibetans like Tenzin shown to have a special deterrent effect nor should state use it to justify the wrong done by the defendant. For instance in the case of two Tibetans (Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak) the state media earlier reported that both “have to be executed to assuage the people’s anger.” Such eyeball for eyeball approach is in no way a justification of giving death sentence. The execution of four Tibetans are further proof of China’s unwillingness to abide by the United Nations Global Moratorium on the Death Penalty, adopted in 2007, which establishes a suspension on executions with the view to abolish the death penalty. Graduates students posing for the group photo 2 HUMAN RIGHTS update • OCTOBER 2009 TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY Thabkhey established the school been cases of the parents rushing in learning takes place in the school. with foreign monetary assistances. to admit their children in the school In its appalling state of affairs, the The education in the school was by withdrawing their children from local Tibetans who once looked given free of cost, except for the mid schools run by Chinese upon the school as model learning day lunch. In addition, one of the government. centre was now filled with grief and primary aims of the school was to The school earned its reputation remorse. preserve the Tibetan culture, in Nagchu County as one that truly tradition and heritage passed down dedicated itself towards the Other cases of School closure: for the last many centuries, which propagation of education and the has been facing serious threats of dissemination of knowledge. In Similarly, there were other reported discontinuity amidst the fast Nyima Dhondup’s case, his cases of school closures similar to changing socio-economic conditions vocational education suddenly vocational education school in inside Tibet owing to large influx ended when the Chinese authorities Nagchu County. In another case of of Chinese ordered the closure of the school school closure, nun Ngawang alleging that the school was linked Choezom testified to TCHRD to subversive political activism. about the closure of Pad-kar School founded by a monk Lobsang Nyandrak from Pad-kar Monastery in Nagchu County, Nagchu Prefecture “Tibet Autonomous Region” (“TAR”). Pad-kar school was established in January 2007 and had about two hundred students. Lobsang Nyandrak built the school by mortgaging his own personal property and estate as well as donations he raised from the local Tibetans. The curriculum in the school was very much similar to ones taught in Nagchu Vocational Education School. The education in Pad-kar school was given free of cost. The school also provided uniforms and other stationeries to the students. As it was in the case of many other students, nun Ngawang Choezom’s training in the Teachers and Graduates students during group photo session practice of traditional Tibetan Medicine suddenly ended in 2009. Moreover, the migrants into Tibet. A wide range Thereafter he came to India to seek Chinese authorities also closed a similar of subjects were taught in the school and pursue his modern education. school in Sog County, Nagchu Prefecture, varying from Tibetan, English and And he did so according to his wish. “Tibet Autonomous Region” (“TAR”) citing similar reasons stating the school Chinese languages, linguistic, Afterwards the Chinese authorities harboured and nurture Tibetan chemistry, physics, medicine, art converted the school into one of nationalistic sentiments and teach and mural paintings.” Chinese government run schools in “splittist” ideas and curriculum. The school was also open for the area. The former teachers and Regardless of the allegation anyone interested in learning staffs of the school were expelled. levelled by Chinese government, the traditional Tibetan arts and sciences The founder teacher Tenzin school teaches a true version of like medicine and thangka painting. Thabkhey was retained to work as a Tibetan history and culture which The students can study in the teacher but at a demoted position. once prevailed across entire length school for a period up to six years. In aftermath, the vocational and breadth of Tibet prior to the In a short period of time, the school education in the school was Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. earned much praise and admiration removed and discontinued by from the local Tibetans in the area Chinese authorities. Today teachers about its curriculum and and staffs of the school just while educational standards. There had away their time and no serious HUMAN RIGHTS update • OCTOBER 2009 3 TIBETAN CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY center. In his case, both domestic A Tibetan Returnee from India and international norms, sentenced to 15 years in prison particularly the proceedings of the Criminal Procedure Law Tenzin Choedak a Tibetan returnee treated on a far more sensitive (CPL) were violated and from India was sentenced to 15 note by the Chinese authorities. overlooked. There was no years of rigorous imprisonment He was born in Lhasa in 1986 and information whether Tenzin and a fine of 10,000 Yuan in later fled to exile to receive received fair hearing or was able September 2009 following his modern education. After receiving to hire his own council lawyer or participation in the last year’s an elementary education in India, legal representations.