Since April 2009, seven Tibetans have been sentenced to death inside Tibet.

Two, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were executed in October 2009. A further three, Penkyi from Sakya county, Kangtsuk and Tenzin Phuntsog, received two year suspended death sentences in April 2009  in cases that were closely related to those of Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak. No independent observers were present at their trials to verify that their trials conformed to international judicial standards and there is no evidence that they received a fair trial.

One of the Tibetans to receive a suspended death sentence, Tenzin Phuntsog, was convicted on the basis of a confession, according to a report in the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua. The use of a confession as evidence indicates that the evidence presented against all the Tibetans sentenced to death in April 2009 was unsound and that their convictions were therefore unsafe.

The sixth Tibetan to receive a suspended death sentenced, Pema Yeshi, was given a two year suspended death sentence in November 2009. Pema Yeshi, a farmer from Nyarong county in the eastern Tibetan region of Kham (Ch province: Sichuan) was sentenced in November 2009 according to exile Tibetan sources who have contacts in the area that Peam Yeshi was sentenced. Pema Yeshi’s sentence was not announced in official press reports, and according to the sources that reported the sentencing, Pema Yeshi’s family was only informed of the sentence after the trial took place, a violation of Chinese Criminal Procedure Law. The sources also reported that Pema Yeshi was held at an undisclosed location for five months after being detained in March 2009.

As in the cases of Lobsang Gyaltsen, Loyak, Penkyi from Sakya county, Gangtsu and Tenzin Phuntsog, no independent observers were present at the trial of Pema Yeshi and there is no evidence that he received a fair trial.

Free Tibet is extremely concerned for the welfare of the five Tibetans who are currently understood to be serving suspended death sentences, especially in view of the lack of transparency in the proceedings against them and the continuing refusal of the Chinese authorities to account for their whereabouts and legal status.

Read more about the cases:

Sonam Tsering

Lobsang Gyaltsen, Penkyi and Gangtsu

Pema Yeshi

If you are in the UK, write to the Foreign Secretary here
If you are in the US, write to your Senator here
You can also write to the Chinese government here
 

Lobsang and Loyak executed Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were executed in Lhasa on 20 October 2009, after receiving death sentences in April 2009.     Read more

Penkyi, Kangtsuk and Tenzin 21-year-old Penkyi is one of three Tibetans who received suspended death sentences around the same time as Lobsang and Loyak and who are at severe risk.   Read more

Political prisoners There are too many Tibetan political prisoners to list them all, but here you will find profiles on some of those currently serving sentences in Tibet today.   Read more

The Missing 1,000 Tibetans There are currently more than 1,000 Tibetans missing after the March 2008 protests. Their whereabouts unknown, there are serious concerns for their wellbeing.   Read more