The International Campaign for Tibet, Students for a Free Tibet and Free Tibet Campaign have launched a joint campaign to target the Chinese Foreign Minister, European leaders and others with tens of thousands of postcards from Tibet supporters condemning the 26 January 2003 execution of Lobsang Dhondup, the death sentence imposed on respected Buddhist leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and the arrest and detention of others associated with this case.
Get postcards and Take Action!
Please call ICT Europe now at +31 (0) 20 330-8265 to order pan-European postcards and take action on behalf of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and others!
Background - Growing Repression in Eastern Tibet: Jailed Tibetans Face Torture, Execution
Over the past two years, there has been an escalating wave of repression in the Kardze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture (TAP) in eastern Tibet (Kham). The latest incident, the arrest of popular and high-ranking Tibetan lama Tenzin Delek Rinpoche as well as several of his supporters, needs your immediate attention.
In April 2002 Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and Lobsang Dhondup were arrested and charged with involvement in a series of explosions in Sichuan Province. They were held incommunicado until their December 2002 trial, where they were convicted of "conspiring to cause a series of explosions" and "incitement to separatism," and sentenced to death. On January 26, 2003, the Sichuan Provincial Court rejected Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's appeal of his suspended death sentence. Lobsang Dhondup was executed the same day. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is reported to be in poor health as a result of torture and prolonged hunger strikes.
The circumstances surrounding this case strongly suggest that the prosecution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is politically motivated. He is a popular religious leader in the local community who is known for his dedication to the Dalai Lama and for his community-oriented work, such as building monasteries, schools and health clinics in poor Tibetan areas. To date, the Chinese authorities have not produced any credible evidence of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's involvement in the explosions, and the prosecutions have not met minimum standards of due process. On January 18, a smuggled tape made by Tenzin Delek Rinpoche asserted, "Whatever the authorities do and say, I am innocent."
As recently as one week before the execution of Lobsang Dhondup, the Chinese government assured American and European officials that there would be a lengthy and careful review of these cases, including a review by the Supreme People's Court, prior to the sentences being carried out. This review did not take place.
At least two other people remain in custody and two missing in connection with this case.
Tashi Phuntsok, a monk from Jamyang Choekhorling Monastery, was in a hospital being treated for tuberculosis when he was arrested in April 2002. He has been sentenced to seven years in prison, but no information is available about his current condition, the charges against him, or where he is being held. Due to his poor condition at the time of arrest, there remains serious concern for his health and his access to medical treatment.
Two monks, Passang and Choetsom, remain missing. Both were reportedly interrogated and beaten by Chinese authorities in April 2002. One other person, Tabo, is reportedly being held for passing information about Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's case to foreign journalists.
Together with the 2001 large-scale demolition at Larung Gar (Serthar) and Yachen Gar monastic compounds, the arrests of organizers of religious ceremonies in Kardze Township and other prominent Tibetan Buddhist figures such as Geshe Sonam Phuntsok, the prosecution of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche points to a growing crackdown in the Kardze region.
The United States and European countries have repeatedly and strongly condemned China's actions in these cases, but we need to keep the pressure on the Chinese Government. Please take action today to help secure the release of these Tibetans and protect human rights in Tibet.
