E� stato giustiziato dalle autorit� cinesi Lobsang Dhondup ...

E� stato giustiziato dalle autorit� cinesi Lobsang Dhondup , il giovane tibetano condannato a morte lo scorso dicembre con l�accusa di aver preso parte ad azioni terroristiche. Secondo le informazioni diffuse da Pechino, il ragazzo, 28 anni, avrebbe confessato la propria responsabilit�. Gli attentati - di cui uno contro l�ufficio della polizia stradale di Kardze, nella regione di Ganzi, aveva fatto una vittima - avrebbero avuto matrice indipendentista. Con il ragazzo � stato arrestato anche il monaco Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, 52 anni, molto conosciuto nella comunit� tibetana per le sue posizioni �legalitarie�. �E� uno di quelli - dice il rappresentante del Dalai Lama in Europa, Kelsang Gyaltsen - che spiegano ai tibetani che bisogna rispettare le leggi di Pechino, per non fornire ai cinesi pretesti per la repressione�. 

Sul monaco pendono le stesse accuse del giovane giustiziato: partecipazione ad atti terroristici, possesso illegale di armi ed esplosivi, incitazione alla secessione. Ma nel suo caso l�esecuzione � stata sospesa per due anni: una procedura che nel sistema giudiziario cinese prelude alla commutazione della condanna a morte in ergastolo. Alla mobilitazione in favore dei due detenuti avevano aderito anche il Parlamento italiano e l�Europarlamento di Strasburgo. 

JANUARY 27, 2003

CHINA: 2 Tibetans Sentenced to Death in SW China

The Higher People's Court of Sichuan Province in southwest China on Sunday rejected an appeal from 1 of 2 local residents who had been sentenced to death penalty and death penalty with a suspension of execution respectively.

The Higher People's Court of Sichuan Province in southwest China on Sunday rejected an appeal from 1 of 2 local residents who had been sentenced to death penalty and death penalty with a suspension of execution respectively.

 Both defendants, A'an Zhaxi and Lorang Toinzhub, are natives of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in Sichuan. The Intermediate People's Court of Garze held hearings on their criminal doings on Nov. 29, 2002.

 On the basis of facts, the court on Dec. 2, 2002, gave A'an Zhaxi, a 52-year-old monk with Tibetan ethnic background, death sentence with a 2-year reprieve for inciting the split of the country and scheming explosions.

 Lorang Toinzhub, 28, a Tibetan farmer, was sentenced to death by the court for inciting the split of the country, scheming explosions, and unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition.

 The intermediate court ascertained that the defendants had plotted explosions in public places for several times and given out leaflets that incited splitting the country and harmed the country's ethnic unity since the end of 2000.

 From January 2001 to April 2002, Lorang Toinzhub detonated explosives and thrown off leaflets in four places including a downtown area of Kangding County and the Tianfu Square of Chengdu.One was seriously wounded and many others hurt in the explosions which also caused property loses of more than 800,000 yuan (96,400US dollars).

 On Oct. 3, 2001, Lorang Toinzhub exploded the office building of the traffic police of Garze prefecture, killing one person and causing property loses of about 290,000 yuan (35,00 US dollars).

 He was also found to have illegally possessed firearms and ammunition.

 Evidences clearly showed that A'an Zhaxi and Lorang Toinzhub tried to sabotage the unity of the country and the unity of various ethnic groups. They ignited explosives in public places and engaged in crimes of terror. Both of them confessed their crimes.

According to the Criminal Law of China, the court ruled that they had committed crimes of inciting the split of the country and plotting explosions.

 Lorang Toinzhub was sentenced to death and deprived of political right for life for committing crimes concerning explosions. He was given 12 years of imprisonment and deprived of political right for two years for inciting the split of the country. He was also rendered another three years of imprisonment for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.

 The court decided to impose death penalty against Lorang Toinzhub as a cumulative punishment for him.

 A'an Zhaxi was sentenced to death penalty with a 2-year suspension of execution and deprived of political right for life for committing crimes concerning explosions. He was also sentenced to 14 years in prison and deprived of political rights for 3 years for inciting the split of the country.

 The court decided to impose death penalty with a 2-year suspension of execution as a concurrent punishment for him.

 The court did not hold an open hearing because some of the defendants' criminal acts were related to state secrets.

 Lorang Toinzhub accepted the ruling and did not appeal. A'an Zhaxi appeal. The Sichuan Higher People's Court rejected his appeal in the second instance on Sunday.

 In the 1st and 2nd instances, A'an Zhaxi entrusted Chen Shichang and Yu Jianbo, 2 counsels from the Garze Prefectural Lawyers' Office, to defend on his side.

 Lorang Toinzhub did not entrust a counsel for his defense. The Intermediate People's Court of Garze and the Sichuan Higher People's Court designated Kuai Qinghua and Liu Shijian, 2 lawyers fromthe same lawyers' office, to defend Lorang Toinzhub. 

Death sentence maintained

01/27/2003

CHENGDU: The High People's Court of Sichuan Province in Southwest China yesterday rejected an appeal from one of two local residents who had been sentenced to death. Both defendants, A'an Zhaxi and Lorang Toinzhub, are natives of the Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan.

The Intermediate People's Court of Garze held hearings at the end of November.

 In early December, the court handed A'an Zhaxi, a 52-year-old monk, the death sentence with a two year reprieve for inciting splittist activities and plotting bombings.

 Lorang Toinzhub, 28, a Tibetan farmer, was sentenced to death by the court for the same two matters, in addition to unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition.

The intermediate court says the defendants had plotted to commit bombings and handed out leaflets that harmed the country's ethnic unity since 2000.

 From January 2001 to April 2002, Lorang Toinzhub detonated explosives and distributed leaflets in four places. One person was seriously wounded and many others hurt during one of the explosions.

 On October 3, 2001, Lorang Toinzhub blew up the traffic police building of the Garze prefecture, killing a person and causing property loses of 290,000 yuan (US$35,000).

 Both of them confessed to their crimes.

 The court decided to impose the death penalty on Lorang Toinzhub as a cumulative sentence. The death penalty with a two-year suspension was A'an Zhaxi's cumulative punishment.

 A'an Zhaxi appealed his sentence, which was rejected by the Sichuan High People's Court. 

27 January, 2003

China executes Tibetan activist

The case has triggered protests in several countries

 China has executed a Tibetan man condemned last month for carrying out bomb attacks in support of Tibetan independence.

Lobsang Dhondup, 28, was executed on Sunday in a move which is sure to trigger strong condemnations of China's human rights record.

 Activists have criticised the trial of Lobsang Dhondup and Tibetan monk Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche as unfair.

 Their case was also raised by US Assistant Secretary of State Lorne Craner when he visited China in December.

 Since the trial, it has come to light that China has arrested 10 more Tibetans in connection with a bombing campaign in south-west China.

 Lobsang Dhondup did not appeal against his conviction.

 China said he confessed to being involved in the 1998-2002 bombings. The court said two of the attacks were carried out in the region of Ganzi, near Tibet's eastern border. Another attack in April 2002 on Sichuan province's capital, Chengdu, left one person dead.

Thierry Dodin, director of the London-based Tibet Information Network (TIN), said that there was no way of knowing whether Lobsang Dhondup was guilty because he did not have an open trial.

 "These are not the conditions that are favourable for trust given that we know that in many human rights issues, the Chinese state has not been straightforward, Mr Dodin told BBC News Online.

 He said that China's official news agency, Xinhua, reporting Lobsang Dhondup's conviction on Sunday, said that the trial had to be closed because it involved state secrets.

 "This is, to say the least of course, fishy," said Mr Dodin.

 "On the one hand China seems keen on being better respected on human rights records, but if people are tried on this business... then we are back where we were 20 years ago," he said.

 Plea of innocence

 The court also upheld a suspended death sentence for Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche.

 Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, 52, had appealed against his conviction.

 Last week a US government-financed radio network broadcast a tape smuggled out of China in which he protested his innocence.

 "I was wrongly accused because I have always been sincere and devoted to the interests and well-being of Tibetans," Radio Free Asia quoted him as saying.

 "The Chinese did not like what I did and what I said. That is the only reason why I was arrested."

 Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche's death sentence was suspended for two years. Correspondents say such sentences are usually commuted to life imprisonment.

 Restive area

 The town of Ganzi has faced repeated crackdowns by Chinese police trying to root out pro-independence activists.

 The area has a majority ethnic-Tibetan population and has long been a hotbed of pro-Tibetan independence activity.

 Western Sichuan was originally known as Cham and was historically part of Tibet.

 After the Communists came to power in China in 1949, they amalgamated Cham into Sichuan province.

 In 1951, China's People's Liberation Army invaded and occupied the rest of Tibet.