Tibetans are demanding that Wen intercede to overturn Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death sentence and open the door to negotiations without preconditions with the Tibetan Government in Exile. Premier Wen will meet with Bush, Powell, and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans later this week. “President Bush and Premier Wen must ensure that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s death sentence is overturned,” said Ngawang Palden, General Secretary of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress. “His case illustrates all too clearly that Tibetans will never know justice as long as our country remains occupied by China. We will not rest until Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is free.”
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a popular religious leader from eastern Tibet, was sentenced to death on December 2, 2002, along with his distant relative Lobsang Dhondup. The verdict came just two months after the reopening of talks between Tibetan and Chinese officials and one week before the U.S.-China bilateral human rights dialogue. The sentence and Dhondup’s execution shortly thereafter sparked condemnation from governments and human rights organizations around the world.
Rinpoche was accused of involvement in a series of explosions, but observers say he is being targeted because Chinese authorities view him as a threat to their control in the region. He is revered by Tibetans in eastern Tibet as a proponent of the Dalai Lama’s philosophy of nonviolence and is well known for his tireless efforts to protect the environment and promote Tibetan religion and culture. He has established numerous monasteries, hospitals, schools and orphanages for both Tibetan and Chinese children.
Protests are planned for every city on Wen Jiabao’s six-day tour through the United States and Canada. “China has made token moves towards dialogue with the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile in an effort to pacify outcry from governments and citizens around the world,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “If Chinese leaders wish to avoid the protesters that follow them everywhere they go, they must step up to the negotiating table with the Tibetan government and cease their egregious rights violations in Tibet.”
Contact: Lhadon Tethong, Students for a Free Tibet, 917.418.4181
Ngawang Palden, Tibetan Youth Congress, 917.723.4133
Sarah Hoffman, U.S. Tibet Committee, 201.874.9849
