DHARAMSHALA, August 31: A day after a Chinese court in eastern Tibet sentenced a Tibetan monk to 11-years in prison, two more monks were given lengthy jail terms Tuesday in connection with the self-immolation of 20-year old monk Phuntsog in March this year.
Phuntsog, a monk of Kirti Monastery in Ngaba eastern Tibet had set himself ablaze on March 16 in an anti-China protest.
The two monks from Kirti monastery, Tsering Tamding alias Tenzin Gya-mo-kha and Lobsang Tenzin alias Nagten were jailed for 13 and 10 years respectively for “intentional homicide” for helping Phuntsog set himself on fire, state media said.
“The two plotted, instigated and assisted in the self-immolation of fellow monk Rigzin Phuntsog and caused his death,” the official Xinhua news agency said, citing the court’s finding.
Tsering Tamding, 22 and Lobsang Tenzin, 21 were arrested in March and were held incommunicado until their sentencing.
In a release, the exile base of Kirti monastery in Dharamshala, northern India said that both Tsering Tamding and Lobsang Tenzin denied the charges in the court.
“They were refused the right to hire a lawyer of their own choices,” the release said.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy in a statement “strongly denounced the false accusations”, calling the sentencing “unjust.”
Xinhua also reported that another monk Dorje would be tried in connection with Phuntsog’s self-immolation on charges of “sending out photos of Phuntsog to a monk living overseas via internet”.
