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British Minister and the EU condemn the executions of two Tibetans in Lhasa |
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MPs call on the government to act over its concerns on due legal processes in these cases
[London 30 October 2009] In response to Foreign Office Minister of State, Ivan Lewis’s swift condemnation of the execution of two Tibetans in Lhasa on 20 October, British MPs have tabled Early Day Motion 2150 “Executions in Lhasa” that calls on the Government to urgently to follow up its stated concerns about lack of due process in the cases of Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, the two Tibetans executed. It also seeks verification of continuing reports that two further Tibetans were executed at the same time.
On contacting the Foreign Office for clarification, Tibet Society has been told the Foreign Office received confirmation from the Chinese Embassy in London on Friday 23 October that two executions took place and the individuals executed were Loyak and Lobsang Gyaltsen. The Chinese Embassy also said reports of two further executions were rumours; the Foreign Office has since been told the other death sentences are suspended, and there are no plans now to carry out further executions. In a regular press briefing on Tuesday 27 October, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu also confirmed "two criminals" had been executed, although he did not give their names. He went on to refer to Ivan Lewis's statement saying "no one had the right to interfere in China's legal process."
However, reports received by Tibetan NGOs and other organisations continue to indicate there were two further executions carried out on the same day, one person being named as a young Tibetan girl, Penkyi. Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tibet will be pressing the government to urgently seek clarification on the whereabouts of the three Tibetans who in April this year each received a death sentence with a two year reprieve, namely Tenzin Phuntsok, Kangtsuk and Penkyi from Sakya County.
The original trials of the defendants took place in April this year. In May, Bill Rammell, the then Minister of State in the Foreign Office, stated: “We have received a number of reports from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) stating that the trials of those connected with the disturbances in Tibet in March 2008 were not compliant with international standards, and that the evidence against the individuals concerned was unsound and the convictions therefore unsafe.”
Speaking of the fears Tibetans have about the fate of Penkyi and the as yet un-named Tibetan man, Philippa Carrick, Chief Executive of Tibet Society, said “that the Chinese authorities felt they could go ahead and execute two Tibetans despite the British government and the EU both voicing concerns about the legal processes and whether the trials were free of political interference is incredibly worrying and indicative that China feels itself to be immune from accountability. It is time for world governments to work together to hold China to account for its actions and to ensure its so called commitment to improving civil, human and legal rights is meaningful and not simply window dressing. I am encouraged that Ivan Lewis spoke out swiftly and strongly to condemn the executions and urge the British government to take a lead on verifying the whereabouts and well being of the three Tibetans who each received a death sentence with a two year reprieve in April.”
The Presidency on behalf of the European Union issued a statement on 29 October condemning the two executions, reiterating “its concerns about the conditions under which the trials were conducted, especially with regard to whether due process and other safeguards for a fair trial were respected.”
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