Dharamsala, January 30 – Tibetans living-in-exile in Dharamsala town on Thursday condemned the execution of a Tibetan activist on charges of setting off bombs and inciting separatism in China. The 28-year-old religious leader Lobsong Dhondup was executed in Ghanzi district of China on Sunday despite pleas from various human rights groups.
Dhondup, along with 52-year-old Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche, was sentenced to death for alleged involvement in a series of bombings China in 2001 and 2002, blamed on supporters of Tibetan independence. Their sentencing sparked an international outcry. In Dharamsala, rights groups took out a protest march against what they called a “cruel Chinese regime”.
Thubten Samphel, spokesman, Tibetan government-in-exile, said he was deeply disappointed by reports of Dhondups execution. “We are extremely sad and very very shocked because we felt that he (Lobsang Dhondup) and Tenzin were never given a fair trial. We appealed to the Chinese government through the international community that now Tenzin should be given a fair trail,” said Samphel. The fate of Tenzin was not clear. According to Chinas state-run media, the Sichuan Provincial High Peoples Court rejected his appeal and affirmed a death sentence which had earlier been suspended.
Dolma Cholpel, Joint Secretary, Tibetan Youth Congress, said the execution proved Chinas poor human rights records. “The trial of Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche and his followers was not fair. The Chinese dont respect the humanitarian ground, that is why they have excecuted Lobsang Dhondup without a fair trial. This is a very serious case because right now it is not only a case of Lobsang Dhondup but Tugu and many other followers are still under trial,” she said. The United States has also expressed deep concern about the severity of the sentences and the possibility that the trial was unfair. There has been sporadic violence in the Himalyan region of Tibet where many people resent what they see as Chinese occupation since the Peoples Liberation Army marched in and imposed Communist rule in 1950.
