14 jailed by Lhasa county courts for Mar’08 protests

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(TibetanReview.net, Nov 9) — Fourteen Tibetans were sentenced to jail terms ranging from two and half to 15 years by three county courts of Lhasa City for alleged involvement in protests in Mar 2008, reported Dharamsala-based Tibetan centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) citing apparently a Chinese language report of China’s official Xinhua news agency Oct 29. They were sentenced for endangering public security, robbery, smashing or looting and creating disturbances during the “March riot”.

The report said monks Lobsang Tsemey (lay name: Passang) of Gachoe Monastery and Doloe of Sha Monastery, being ringleaders in the Mar 14 and 15 protests in the county, were given 15 years, deprive of political rights for five years and fined 2,000 yuan each by the Phenpo Lhundup County court. The same court also convicted monks Tenzin Yeshi, Tashi Namgyal, Gaden Chodak, Tenpa Dhondup and Lobsang Theychu (lay name: Tashi Norbu) of Gachoe Monastery, as well as nuns Lhakdon and Dorje Dolma of Podo Nunnery to jail terms ranging from 5 to 14 years.

Tenzin Yeshi, Tashi Namgyal and Gaden Chodak were alleged to have led a violent riot in the county on Mar 14. Lobsang Tsemey, Tenpa Dhondup and Lobsang Theychu were alleged to have jointly prepared, on instigation by Gaden Chodak, ‘independence’ leaflets to cause unrest. Lobsang Tsemey was alleged to have led on Mar 15 a protest by 40 monks of Gachoe Monastery towards the county police headquarters.

Also on Mar 15, Doloe, Lhakdon and Dorjee Dolma were alleged to have planned and led monks of Sha Monastery, nuns of Podo Nunnery and around 10 farmers of Dendong Village in a protest which headed towards the county headquarters. They were accused of being involved in “arson, looting, killing, disrupting public order and assaulting government offices among other crimes.” Dorjee Dolma was also accused of having noted down names of “all the nuns” and of having written leaflets with plans to send them to overseas “Dalai clique”.

In the second case, the Chushul County court was reported to have sentenced monks Lobsang Tsephel and Tsenam of Ratoe Monastery in Chushul County to nine and five year jail terms, respectively, for having led a protest by 10 monks from the monastery towards Nyethang Township government offices in the evening of Mar 15. They were accused of having committed arson and destruction of properties at the local Shangthungda Petrol Station.

And in the third case, the Lhasa Municipal Court was reported to have sentenced three men – Phuntsok Tenpa, Phuntsok and Phuntsok Drakden – to jail terms of 3 years, 9 months; 2 years, 9 months, and 2 years, 6 months, respectively, for having allegedly “obstructed the administration of public order by vandalizing public properties, looting, arson, insulting the national flag, disrupting public order.”

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