Four Tibetans executed in Lhasa

Norman Baker MP, condemns the Chinese authorities and says executions make a mockery of British government’s softly softly approach. [London 22 October]   Reports have been received that four Tibetans have been executed in Lhasa on 20 October. On hearing the news of these summary executions, Norman Baker, President of Tibet Society and Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group, said “This is a shocking act by the Chinese authorities. It clearly shows there is no meaningful commitment on the part of the Chinese government to legal reform or internationally accepted standards of rule of law. That these executions have taken place within a few weeks of Minister of State Ivan Lewis’s visit to Tibet, makes a mockery of any claims by the British government to having any influence or effecting change and improvement for the Tibetan people’s civil and human rights by a softly softly approach. This act is one that we should all abhor and be deeply apprehensive about as it blatantly shows the utter disregard the Chinese government has to a whole raft of human rights issues we all take for granted." Tibet Society CEO, Philippa Carrick added: "We call on the British government to issue an immediate statement condemning the executions in the strongest possible terms and we further call on the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary to scrutinise the Chinese government's legal procedures that led to these shocking executions. In May the British government admitted it had real cause for concern about the death sentences meted out to Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak. Now it is time for the government speak out and act on these concerns and hold the Chinese government to account. I am sure our supporters share our shock and outrage at this appalling turn of events and will also be writing to the Foreign Secretary asking for meaningful action from the government." The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) and Gu Chu Sum, two Tibetan NGOs who have direct contact with sources in Tibet, have received confirmed information from reliable sources that Lobsang Gyaltsen, Loyak (both of whom had received death sentences in April), Penkyi and an unnamed Tibetan thought to be from Ramoche area, were executed on Tuesday, 20 October 2009 at 11 am Chinese Standard Time in Toelung, near Lhasa. The executions took place under the supervision of the Lhasa Municipality Intermediate People’s Court for their alleged involvement in last year’s mass protest in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital. So far the executions have not been publically reported anywhere in the Chinese state media. According to sources, the body of Lobsang Gyaltsen, from Lhubuk on the outskirts of Lhasa, was handed over to his family. His body was later immersed in Kyichu River by his wife, as his family is very poor and could not afford to carry out religious prayers for the deceased. Loyak's ashes have been reportedly handed over to his family. Further clarification is being sought on the identity of Penkyi and the un-named Tibetan and under what charges and sentences their executions were carried out. The original trials took place in April this year behind closed doors. The defendants did not have access to independent legal representation and there were no outside observers. There is no information on whether the Supreme People’s Court reviewed the cases of Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, who both received death sentences, as required under Chinese law where the death sentence is meted out. Nor is it known if Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were given the opportunity to lodge appeals. 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. We have consistently expressed our concern at the need for proper due process for all those detained, and our belief that any trials should be conducted justly, fairly and transparently. The fact that independent observers were not allowed at these trials means that we have been unable to verify that the human rights of the defendants were respected, and that the trials were free from political interference. This, together with the reports from NGOs, does give us real cause for concern, as does the verdict of the death penalty, to which the UK is opposed in principle. As a consequence, and working closely with our EU counterparts, we are urging the Chinese authorities not to carry out the sentences imposed on those convicted.”