TYC, international rights group condemn death sentences on Tibetans

TYC, international rights group condemn death sentences on Tibetans

Phayul[Friday, April 10, 2009 15:12]

Dharamsala, April 10 – Wednesday’s death sentence on two Tibetans by a Chinese court is being condemned worldwide by Tibetans and human rights groups. Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest pro-independence group of the exile Tibetan community, called the verdicts “partial” and accused China of abusing the judiciary system. The Amnesty International also condemned the death sentences saying China's Supreme People’s Court will have to review the death sentences, as it does in all death penalty cases. “We have recorded a pattern of unfair trials leading to death sentences in China. Under these conditions it's very unlikely that these sentences stand up. We urge the death sentences to be overturned", said Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International’s Asia Pacific Director. Tibetan Youth Congress said it “condemns the highly biased and politically motivated verdict of the court and the judiciary system of China which purposely serves to meet the demands and wishes of the Chinese Communist Government and its policies.” The Tibetan NGO said the verdicts further “underline the Chinese communist government's fifty years of disparaging occupation of Tibet and its fatal ongoing policy of destroying the Tibetans as a race, culture and people.” The Tibetan Youth Congress say the Tibetans were not provided legal rights of being represented by lawyers of their choice. It said China should try the Tibetans in a "fair court with attorney of the defendant's choice and representatives either from independent human rights monitoring organizations or the United nations". According to Amnesty International research China carried out at least 1,718 executions in 2008 and sentenced 7,003 people to death.