From London to Lhasa: Students for a Free Tibet UK

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23^rd Oct'09, London-Following the executions of four Tibetan political prisoners, Tibetans and Supporters gathered for a candle-lit vigil outside the Chinese Embassy on Thursday evening organised jointly by the Coalition of UK Tibet Support Groups. Lobsang Gyaltsen, Loyak, Penkyi and an as yet unidentified prisoner were executed in Toelung, near Lhasa on Tuesday 20^thOctober. As participants sang prayers and songs of solidarity together, the sadness and shock of all present was palpable.

The Coalition of UK Tibet Support Groups is united in its condemnation of this latest reminder of China’s appalling human rights record in occupied Tibet.

Tibet Society CEO, Philippa Carrick commented: "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.”

Reacting to news of the executions, Director of Free Tibet, Stephanie Brigden, said: “The executions are an outrage. It is impossible to have any confidence that even the most basic legal norms were observed before the Chinese state sanctioned and carried out the killing of these four Tibetans.”

Campaigns Coordinator for Students for a Free Tibet UK, Padma Dolma stated: “The world cannot sit by while China carries out politically motivated executions in Tibet. The UK’s government must take a lead in condemning these executions and in ensuring the safety of Tibetans in Lhasa during the current security crackdown.”

The Coalition of UK Tibet Support Groups are:

Tibetan Youth UK

Tibet Society

Tibetan Community in Britain

Students for a Free Tibet

Free Tibet

Photos by:Luke Ward

[22 October 2009] The 166 member organisations of the International Tibet Support Network condemn the government of China for the executions of four Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen, Loyak, Penkyi and a fourth unidentified Tibetan, in Lhasa on 20 October.

China's decision to execute these four Tibetans is an affront to international judicial standards. These executions are clearly politically motivated (see Notes 1 & 2), and concerns that those convicted did not have a fair trial are well-founded. Tuesday’s executions show that China will use all methods at its disposal to intimidate Tibetans and crush all perceived opposition to its occupation of Tibet.

Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were sentenced to death on 8 April 2009. They had been charged with "starting fatal fires" in which, according to Xinhua, seven Chinese people died in Lhasa on 14 March 2008, when four days of peaceful protests by Tibetan monks in Lhasa escalated into city-wide unrest. A Xinhua statement on 8 April said they "have to be executed to assuage the people's anger". Judicial procedure calls for death sentence convictions to be reviewed by the Supreme People's Court before sentences carried out, but no information is available if such reviews occurred in these cases.

The identity of the other two Tibetans executed remains unclear. Three Tibetans received suspended death sentences on arson charges in April 2009. Gangtsu and Tenzin Phuntsog were given death sentences suspended for two years on the same day Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were sentenced. In addition, a life sentence was handed to Dawa Sangpo. On 21 April, Xinhua reported that three Tibetan women had been sentenced for charges of arson which led to the deaths of six people. Penkyi from Sakya received a death sentence suspended for two years, another Penkyi from Nyemo was sentenced to life imprisonment, and Chime Lhamo from Namling was sentenced to 10 years.

In response to the executions, representatives of the Tibet movement made the following statements:

Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet said; "These executions, the first known executions of Tibetans since 2003, are a travesty of justice and signal an alarming escalation in the Chinese government's violent campaign to punish, intimidate, and silence Tibetans who dare to speak out against Chinese rule. Tibetans and their supporters worldwide will take to the streets in the coming days to condemn these executions and to demand immediate action on the part of our governments. We also call on U.S. President Obama to condemn these executions and to take bold and concrete action to help end China's occupation of Tibet when he makes his first presidential visit to China next month."

Paul Bourke from Australia Tibet Council said; "These brutal executions are more about China reinforcing political control in Tibet than about justice. The executions are meant to send a strong warning to Tibetans – any public display of dissatisfaction with China’s rule in Tibet will be dealt with in the harshest possible manner. Given this distressing news, it is all the more imperative that Prime Minister Rudd meet with the Dalai Lama in December to discuss constructive action the Australian government can take to help bring about a fair and just resolution for the Tibetan people."

Dhardon Sharling of Tibetan Women's Association said; "The members of the International Tibet Support Network sincerely hope that governments around the world will join in our condemnation of today's executions. The Tibet issue, and the associated human rights abuses and brutal crackdown inflicted by the Chinese Government will not go away unless there is a concrete and viable political resolution to the 60-year occupation of Tibet, yet the Chinese authorities have disdainfully rejected His Holiness' initiatives to bring about a mutually beneficial solution to both China and Tibet. We call on the international community to urge the Chinese leadership, in the strongest possible terms, to negotiate a peaceful solution to this long-standing injustice."

Stephanie Brigden of Free Tibet added; "Tuesday's executions are a particular outrage. Despite Chinese law providing that these cases should have been trialled in open court – where independent observers could have attended - these four Tibetans have been prosecuted behind closed doors. It is impossible to have any confidence that even the most basic legal safeguards were met. In December last year the UN confirmed that the use of confessions, obtained through torture to secure convictions is routine and widespread in China – even the Chinese Government officials have acknowledged that “ nearly every wrongful verdict in recent years relates to illegal interrogation.”

The member organisations of the International Tibet Support Network, a global coalition of Tibet campaign groups, demand that China:

* Not exacerbate this outrage by executing any more Tibetans, and immediately commute all remaining death sentences.

* Publish the names and whereabouts of the more than 1,200 Tibetans missing since the protests of March and April 2008.

* Agree to the demand made in November 2008 by the UN Committee Against Torture for a "thorough and independent enquiry into the reported excessive use of force, including against peaceful demonstrators".

* Reverse its rejection of the Dalai Lama's initiatives and negotiate a peaceful resolution to the 60 year occupation of Tibet.

The 166 members of the International Tibet Support Network call on all governments to condemn these executions and to secure from China guarantees that all trials of Tibetans be held in open court, defendants have access to independent legal representation, legal safeguards are adhered to, and consular staff and foreign journalists are permitted to attend such court proceedings, where requested.

The International Tibet Support Network
(see note 3 for full list of member organisations)

Notes:
1. A report released by Human RIghts Watch in March 2009 revealed a judicial system so highly politicised as to preclude any possibility for a fair trial for Tibetans. The report concluded that the "principle of independence of the judiciary is thoroughly undermined by leadership's demand that court and police tailor their actions to political requirements." For example, on 19 March 2008, prior to any determination by a court, the Lhasa procuratorate announced that the violence in Lhasa "was organised, planned, and premeditated by the Dalai Lama clique," and that in the cases of 24 criminal suspects formally arrested that day "the crimes were clear and the evidence sufficient" to determine that they had committed "state security crimes." http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/03/09/china-hundreds-tibetan-detainees-and-prisoners-unaccounted

2. During a meeting entitled “Working Commission to adjudicate cases involving 14 March Riot,” convened by the Tibet Autonomous Region's (TAR) Higher People’s Court in Lhasa on 2 April 2008, Pema Trinley, Executive Vice Governor of the TAR called on the judiciary to act fast and strike hard on the ‘Dalai clique.’ He said that stringent legal action should be taken in tune with Party policy so that the final verdict would gain political, legal and social dividends referring to achieving political and social stability. Source: Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy.

3. The International TIbet Support Network, http://www.tibetnetwork.org , is a vibrant coalition of 166 Tibet groups from all continents. The Network is dedicated to campaigning non-violently to restore the rights that Tibetans lost when China occupied Tibet 60 years ago. The International Tibet Support Network was created to strengthen individual member organisations and to make the Tibet movement as a whole more effective by coordinating powerful strategic campaigns on behalf of the Tibetan people.

The 166 members of the International Tibet Support Network are:

North America:
Association Cognizance Tibet, North Carolina
Bay Area Friends of Tibet
Boston Tibet Network
Canada Tibet Committee
China Tibet Initiative
Colorado Friends of Tibet
Committee of 100 for Tibet
Dhokam Chushi Gangdruk
International Campaign for Tibet
International Tibet Independence Movement
Los Angeles Friends of Tibet
Monadnock Friends of Tibet
Northwest Tibetan Cultural Association
Rangzen Alliance
San Diego Friends of Tibet
Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet
Seattle Friends of Tibet
Sierra Friends of Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet – Canada
The Tibetan Alliance of Chicago
The World Tibet Day Foundation
Tibet Committee of Fairbanks
Tibet Justice Center
Tibetan Association of Ithaca
Tibetan Association of Northern California
Tibetan Association of Santa Fe
Tibetan Association of South California
Tibetan Cultural Association - Quebec
TIBETmichigan
Toronto Tibet Youth Congress
U.S. Tibet Committee
Western Colorado Friends of Tibet
Central & South America:
Amigos del Tibet, El Salvador
Asociacion Cultural Peruano Tibetana
Casa Tibet Mexico
Grupo De Apoyo a Tibet Chile
Grupo Pro-Cultura Tibetana, Chile
Centro De Cultura Tibetana
Le Club Francais
Pensando En Tibet - Mexico
Tibet Group-Panama
Tíbet Patria Libre, Uruguay
Asia:
Bharrat Tibbat Sahyog Manch, India
Circle of Friends (Philippines)
Core Group for Tibetan Cause, India
Foundation for Universal Responsibility of H. H. the Dalai Lama
Friedrich-Naumann Foundation
Gannasamannay
Gu-Chu-Sum Movement of Tibet
Himalayan Committee for Action on Tibet
India Tibet Friendship Society
Lung-ta
Mahatma Gandhi Tibet Freedom Movement
National Campaign for Tibetan Support, India
National Democratic Party of Tibet
Raise Tibetan Flag Campaign
Roof of the World Foundation, Indonesia
SFT-India
Taiwan Friends of Tibet
Taiwan Tibet Exchange Foundation
The Youth Liberation Front of Tibet, Mongolia and Turkestan
Tibet Lives, India
Tibet Solidarity Forum, Bangladesh
Tibet Support Group Kiku, Japan
Tibet Support Network Japan
Tibetan Parliamentary and Policy Research Centre
Tibetan Women's Association (Central)
Tibetan Youth Congress
SFT Japan
Students for a Free Tibet - Bangladesh
Australasia:
Australia Tibet Council
Friends of Tibet New Zealand
Students for a Free Tibet New Zealand
Tibetan Community of Australia (Victoria)
Tibet Action Group of Western Australia
Africa & the Middle East:
Friends of Tibet - Isamailia (Egypt)
Israeli Friends of the Tibetan People
South African Friends of Tibet
Tibet Support Group Kenya
Western Europe:
Aide aux Refugies Tibetains
Association Dorje
Association Drôme Ardèche-Tibet
Association of Tibetans in Germany
Association Rencontres Tibetaines - C.S.P.T. Midi-Pyrenees
Associazione Italia-Tibet
Austrian Committee for Tibet
Briancon05 Urgence Tibet
Caisse d'Aide aux Prisonniers Tibetains
Casa del Tibet - Spain
Comite de Apoyo al Tibet (Madrid)
Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain - Bretagne
Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain (Les Lilas)
Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain (Switzerland)
Comite de Soutien au Peuple Tibetain de l'Herault
Eco-Tibet France
EcoTibet Ireland
France-Tibet
Free Tibet Campaign
Games of Beijing, Switzerland
Swiss Tibetan Friendship Association
Groupe Non-Violent Louis Lecoin, France
Grupo de Apoio ao Tibete, Portugal
International Campaign for Tibet Deutschland
International Campaign for Tibet Europe
International Society of Human Rights, Munich Chapter
ISCOS-CISL
Jamtse Thundel Association
La Porte du Tibet, Geneva
Les Amis du Tibet - Belgium
Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg
Lions Des Neiges
Lions Des Neiges Mont Blance, France
Maison des Himalayas
Maison du Tibet - Tibet Info
Nos Amis de l'Himalaya
Nice Tibet, France
Objectif Tibet
Passeport Tibetain
Reseau International des Femmes pour le Tibet
Save Tibet, Austria
Society for Threatened Peoples International (Associate Member)
Solidarite Tibet
Students for a Free Tibet - France
Students for a Free Tibet - UK
Tibet 59 / 62
Tibet Democratie
Tibet Initiative Deutschland
Tibet Libertes, France
Tibet Society, U.K.
Tibet Support Group - Ireland
Tibet Support Group - Netherlands
Tibet Unterstutzung Liechtenstein
Tibetan Community Austria
Tibetan Community in Britain
Tibetan Community in Ireland
Tibetan Youth Association in Europe
Tibetan Youth UK
Tibetisches Zentrum Hamburg
TSG Free Tibet And You
Tsowa-Maintenir la Vie, France
Urgence Tibet
Vrienden Van Tibet
Northern Europe:
Association of Free Tibet
Friends of Tibet in Finland
Swedish Tibet Committee
The Norwegian Tibet Committee
Tibet Support Committee Denmark -
Tibetan Community in Denmark
Tibetan Community Sweden
Central & Eastern Europe:
TSG - Slovenia
Friends of Tibet Society St. Petersburg, Russia
Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights - Tibet Desk
Lithuanian Tibet Culture Foundation
Polish Movement for a Free Tibet
Society for Croatia-Tibet Friendship
Students for a Free Tibet, Poland
The Foundation for Civil Society, Russia
Tibet cesky (Tibet in Czech)
Tibet Support Association - Hungary
Tibet Support Group - Krasnodar Region, Russia
Tibet Support Group - Romania
Tibet Support Group - Sochi Region, Russia
Tibetan Programme of The Other Space Foundation
Union Latvija Tibetai (Latvia for Tibet )
Zida Cels, Latvia

1st October, London: On the day of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, a ground-breaking coalition in London marked the six decades of oppression under Chinese Communist Party rule by calling for freedom, human rights and democracy for all peoples in the PRC. The newly formed coalition, Chinese, Uighur & Tibetan Solidarity UK (CUTS UK) (1) , expressed their solidarity with a series of events, including a protest, vigil and film screenings.

On 1st October, Chinese, Uighurs, Tibetans and supporters gathered outside the Chinese Embassy and called for the end of oppression in China and it's oppressed nations. With the aid of 60 gong strikes to symbolize the 60 years of oppression, representatives from China, East Turkestan and Tibet read out atrocities committed by the CCP. The coalition have published the atrocities which the CCP tries to cover up as a document called 'Missing Pages'.

CUTS UK delivered a solidarity statement (2) to the Chinese Embassy written in each group's native language (Mandarin, Uighur and Tibetan as well as English) on a 10 metre long scroll. Supporters also added their own messages to the scroll before it was presented to the embassy.

Shao Jiang, a Chinese dissident and one of the student organisers at the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, who now lives in the UK, said, “As a survivor of the Tiananmen Massacre, I am very proud of being a member of the coalition to manifest our resistance against the tyrannical rule of the Chinese Communist Party over the past 60 years. I believe firmly that with determination, persistence and solidarity, one day we will be free.”

Karma Chura-Tsang, Director of Tibetan Youth UK echoed his thoughts, "It is time for China to realise after 60 years of Communist oppression, the call for freedom, justice and democracy will catapult and become a stronger, unified and irrevocable force and that this is in their own interest for future stability and success in becoming a prosperous and responsible nation. We call on world powers to genuinely encourage China to become a democratic state and give freedom to the Chinese, Uighur and Tibetan peoples."

On behalf of the Uighurs, Enver Tohti, Chairman of the Uighur Association and UK representative of the World Uighur Congress, added, "The Chinese government must allow Uighurs, Tibetans and Chinese the right to self-determination, just as other peoples around the world have the right to decide their own future. This is a fundamental human right and no authority should be allowed to interfere with this."

The event was followed by the screening of a series of documentaries on East Turkestan entitled The Forgotten Nation, which highlighted the plight of the Uighur People under the Chinese communist regime. In the week before the anniversary screenings of Tibetan and Chinese democracy films were held.

Later in the evening, a vigil was held outside the Chinese Embassy to mourn and remember the people killed under the 60 years of iron-fist rule by the CCP. Poems and solidarity songs were sung by Chinese, Uighurs and Tibetans respectively. The event culminated with the popular civil rights song “We shall overcome”, sung by all those present, symbolising the solidarity between not just Chinese, Uighurs and Tibetans but all people who want to see freedom, human rights and democracy for those living under the current CCP regime.

Photos by: Luke Ward
video by: Johanna
Notes:

(1) CUTS UK (Chinese, Uighur & Tibetan Solidarity UK) opposes the tyrannical rule of the Chinese Communist Party and upholds the values of freedom, human rights and democracy. CUTS UK is made up of the following organisations: Chinese Solidarity Campaign, Federation for a Democratic China, Friends of Tiananmen Mothers, Students for a Free Tibet UK, Tibet Society, Tibetan Community in Britain, Tibetan Youth UK, Uighur Association, Uighur Community UK. For more information: email cuts.uk@googlemail.com or look for the Facebook group (search Chinese, Uighur & Tibetan Solidarity UK).

(2) Statement by Chinese, Uighur & Tibetan Solidarity UK on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China:

We are a group of people from China, Tibet and East Turkestan who stand united in opposition to the tyrannical rule of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We share and believe in the fundamental values and principles of human rights, freedom and democracy; these principles bring us together to stand in solidarity with all those oppressed and persecuted by the rule of the CCP and to seek justice and freedom.

During the 60 years of communist rule, the Chinese regime has perpetuated inexcusable crimes against humanity. Tens of millions of people have died from political persecution and abuse of power. The CCP has no electoral mandate, thereby it has no authority or credibility to represent China as a member of the United Nations.

With China’s increasing global presence, the CCP’s autocratic political attitudes and actions, if unchecked, could endanger the freedom and well-being of mankind.

Therefore, today we call on the Chinese government to end its one party autocracy by beginning democratic processes and abide by the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and thereby become a responsible and respected member of the international community.

To benefit not only those oppressed by the CCP rule in China, but for all the people of the world, we urge the international community to stand up and speak out; work to bring justice and democracy to the oppressed and help build a harmonious and stable society where universal human rights are recognised and valued.

The world must wake up and act now!

Chinese, Uighur & Tibetan Solidarity UK

1st October 2009