Court gives life sentences to three for Tibet rioting 29/04/2008 - 15:26:58
Six monks were among 30 people jailed for between three years and life today for their part in anti-government riots in Tibet last month.
Three men received life sentences, including a Buddhist monk identified as Basang, the official Chinese Xinhua news agency said.
Basang led 10 people, including five other monks, to destroy local government offices, burn down shops and attack police, it said. Of the other five monks, two were sentenced to 20 years, and the other three to 15 years in jail.
Another man who received a life sentence was identified as Soi’nam Cering, a driver for a Lhasa property company who joined in the mobs that burned vehicles, smashed police stations and assaulted firefighters during the riot, Xinhua said.
The third man, identified only by his last name Cering, was a 30-year-old businessman convicted of inciting others to commit arson and looting shops and vehicles during riots.
State broadcaster CCTV said a total of seven people were sentenced to about 15 years in prison, and the other 20 received sentences of between three to 14 years. The charges included arson, robbery, interruption of law enforcement, and theft, it said.
China’s state broadcaster reported that 200 people attended the trial in Lhasa, the first since the mid-March riots.
The massive anti-government protests that turned violent on March 14 were the largest challenge to Chinese rule in the Himalayan region in nearly 20 years.
China has said 22 people died in the riots while Tibet’s government-in-exile announced today that it believes at least 203 Tibetans were killed in the ensuing crackdown.
China’s response to the riots has drawn attention to the government’s human rights record and other policies, as the communist country prepares to host the Olympic Games in August.
Rights groups and pro-Tibetan supporters have protested against the Olympic torch relay at several stops around the world, causing massive disruptions in some cities.
The sentences came a day after Tibetan authorities announced the reopening of the Sera Monastery, which was closed after last month’s riots, Xinhua reported.
Chinese authorities have increased “patriotic education classes” that require monks to make ritual denunciations of the Dalai Lama, accept the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, and pledge allegiance to Beijing.
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Six monks were among 30 people jailed for between three years and life today for their part in anti-government riots in Tibet last month.
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