Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) expresses its shock and dismay over the harsh sentences passed on three Tibetans by the Lhasa Municipal Intermediate People’s Court.
Penkyi,sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve
According to official Chinese mouthpiece, Xinhua, dated 21 April 2009, the Lhasa Municipal Intermediate People’s Court sentenced one man to death with a two-year reprieve and two others to long jail terms for setting fire that killed six people in Lhasa riot last year. Penkyi, of Sakya County, Shigatse Prefecture(Ch: Xigaze) “Tibet Autonomous Region” (‘TAR’) was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, whereas Penkyi, 23, from Nyemo County (Ch: Nimo Xian), Lhasa Municipality, “TAR” was sentenced to life imprisonment and Chime, 20, from Namling County (Ch: Nanmulin xian), Shigatse Prefecture, “TAR” was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The three were sentenced by the Chinese court on alleged charges of arson, setting fire to clothing stores last year during the Lhasa unrest.