(TibetanReview.net, Oct31, 2015) – Ministers of the UK government were under pressure to explain whether Chinese officials had a say in the policing of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Oct 20-23 state visit after all charges were dropped against three people, including two Tibetan women, arrested during peaceful protests, reported independent.co.uk Oct 29. Campaigners had accused the London Metropolitan police of deliberately targeting Tibetan demonstrators to try to please China, noted theguardian.com Oct 28.
Dr Shao Jiang, a survivor of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, was seized outside Mansion House in central London on Oct 21, shortly before the Chinese leader arrived at the venue, as he waved banners standing in the road. Two Tibetan women, Sonam Choden, 30, and Jamphel Lhamo, 33, were also arrested at the scene for doing nothing more than displaying Tibetan national flags.
They were arrested to prevent a breach of the peace, their homes searched and charged on suspicion of conspiracy to commit threatening behaviour.
Scotland Yard has now said they had been “released from their bail with no further action”.
The policing minister, Mike Penning, was labelled “shameful” on Oct 26 for refusing to comment on the police’s handling of the three protesters, noted the theguardian.com report.
The issue was raised in parliament by The Labour MP Fabian Hamilton, Labour frontbencher Emily Thornberry, among others.