8 more Tibetans sentenced, with suspended death for one for 2008 protests
TibetanReview.net, Nov22, 2010: In continuing trials of Tibetans arrested for their involvement in the Mar’08 protests which engulfed much of the Tibetan Plateau, the Intermediate People’s Court of Lhasa city had around mid-May this year given one more death sentence, with execution suspended for two years, said the exile Tibetan government on its website Tibet.net Nov 20. It said Sonam Tsering, who originally hails from Derge Palyul County in what is now part of Sichuan Province, ha been given the jail sentence for having allegedly led one of the protests in Lhasa on that day. Seven other Tibetans have been jailed for one to seven years for allegedly sheltering the accused person for more than a year and half.
The report said police in Lhasa had announced a cash prize for anyone providing information on his whereabouts. Sonam Tsering remained in hiding around Lhasa, helped by some Tibetans, until he was captured in Oct 2009.
Those jailed for sheltering or helping him to escape capture have been named as Tsewang Gyurmey (5 years), Tashi Choedon of Palyul (7 years), Dolyang of Markham (4 years), Yang alias Kelyang of Kongpo (7 years), nun Yeshi Tsomo of Lhasa (5 years), Tayang of Lhasa (5 years) and Pasang Tsering of Lhasa (1 year).
The report said Sonam’s currents whereabouts and conditions remained unknown.
The report said that since Mar 10, 2008, a total of 227 Tibetans have been confirmed killed in the Chinese crackdown on the protests, with over 6810 others arrested and 510 sentenced.
So far, seven Tibetans have been sentenced to death for involvement in the protests, with immediate execution of two of them and two-year suspension of execution for the others. Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, both 25, were executed on Oct 20, 2009. Those under suspended death sentence have been named as Tenzin Phuntsok (27), Kangtsuk (22), Penkyi (21), Pema Yeshi (28) and Sonam Tsering (23).