Exiles dismiss verdicts as propaganda and arbitrary
by Kalsang Rinchen
Dharamsala, Dec 18 – China’s Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court has passed sentences on 7 Tibetans for their alleged involvement in crimes of ‘espionage’ ‘endangering State security’ and ‘illegally providing information to outside agents’.
The sentences passed over a few months’ time range between 8 years to life imprisonment, says Tashi Choephel of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD).
Lhasa Evening News (Ch: Lasa Wan bao) on 8 November reported that the Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court sentenced five Tibetans on 27 October; the same court sentenced two more Tibetans on 7 November 2008, Tashi Said.
“China arbitrarily accused His Holiness the Dalai Lama of instigating the March uprising, this is nothing new. They blame exile Tibetans for everything and now they are using innocent Tibetans as scapegoats to mislead the international community into believing that the Tibetans were tried under law and that their accusations were justified.”
An English translation of the Lhasa Evening News report is made available on a blog highpeakspureearth.com
Wangdue was convicted for allegedly accepting assignments from the “Public Security Department” of the Dalai Clique, and setting up an underground intelligence network in Lhasa.
Wangdue, a former monk in his 40’s is also a former political prisoner. He had been working as an HIV/AIDS activist and was employed by the Burnet Institute, an Australian medical research and public health NGO. Charges against him include distributing copies of a CD containing incitements to split the country, and leaflets inciting to hold a “People’s Uprising in Tibet” given to him by the “Public Security Department” of the Dalai Clique.
Migmar Dhondup was convicted for allegedly helping Wangdue distribute the CDs and leaflets and was sentenced to 14 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for 5 years. Both were accused of espionage.
Phuntsok Dorjee and Tsewang Dorjee were convicted for allegedly collecting “information concerning national security and interests and providing it to organizations outside of China through Wangdue. The court sentenced Phuntsok Dorjee to 9-year imprisonment with deprivation of political rights for 5 years and Tsewang Dorjee to 8 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for 5 years.
Sonam Dakpa was sentenced to 10 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for 5 years for allegedly providing “Tibetan Youth Congress” of the Dalai clique with intelligence information.
On November 7, Yeshi Choedon, a former health worker in her 50’s was sentenced to 15 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for 5 years for allegedly accepting assignments from “Public Security Department” of the Dalai Clique and also receiving funds from the “Public Security Department” of the Dalai Clique.
Sonam Tseten was sentenced to 10 years in prison and deprivation of political rights for 5 years for allegedly working for ‘separatist’ organisation “Gu Chu Sum”. He was accused of allegedly providing intelligence information concerning national security and interests to the Gu Chu Sum, an NGO of former political prisoners based here.
Meanwhile, the exile Tibetans refute China’s allegations saying that China always try to show that all would be well in Tibet but for instigation from diaspora Tibetans.
Since the March uprising, the Dalai Lama repeatedly denied accusations against him and the exile Tibetan government of instigating the uprising in Tibet. On April 6 this year, the Tibetan leader said, “The Chinese authorities have been making false allegations against myself and the Central Tibetan Administration for instigating and orchestrating the recent events in Tibet. These allegations are totally untrue. I have made repeated appeals for an independent and respected international body to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter. I am sure this independent body will uncover the truth. If the People’s Republic of China has any basis and proof of evidence to back their allegations, they need to disclose these to the world. Just making allegations is not enough.”
Dhondup Dorjee, Vice President of the Tibetan Youth Congress, said it is another effort from China to brandish his organization as a terror group, and that China used Sonam Dakpa’s case to support their claim. “China tries to project the uprisings in Tibet as being stimulated by the exile Tibetan ‘separatists’ as they call us. It is in fact the opposite, our hopes and determination to fight comes from the Tibetans inside Tibet. Their will, their sacrifices and their courage have kept our exile struggle alive after fifty years. They don’t need us to tell them to protest because they are the ones who suffer under China.” Dhondup said that the communist government’s harsh policies take precedence over the law.
Ngawang Woebar, the president of the Gu Chu Sum movement, out rightly denied his organization assigning anyone in Tibet for information. “Ours is an organization of former political prisoners who are very much aware of the arbitrary interrogations, denial of legal rights to defendants and forced confessions. I consider this as an attempt by China to show to the world that their accusations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama had proved true but I am certain that the trials were held closed door without the defendants having any right to legal representation by lawyers of their choice. The sentences passed on them are as arbitrary as the law itself.”
He further said that though the law has a provision for the defendants to appeal to a higher court no one dares it because that will only increase the prison terms. “They have been forced to accept the arbitrary charges put against them. And they surely will not appeal to a higher court because they know it is a waste of time under a law that is designed to suppress people.”
Ngawang said that China is making every effort to mislead the Chinese people and the world opinion against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans, and that the recent trials is a case in point.
