Two Tibetans Sentenced to Death in SW China

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, January 27, 2003

Two Tibetans Sentenced to Death in SW China

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The Higher People's Court of Sichuan Province in southwest China on Sunday rejected an appeal from one of two local residents who had been sentenced to death penalty and death penalty with a suspension of execution respectively.

Both defendants, A'an Zhaxi and Lorang Toinzhub, are natives of the Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Garze in Sichuan. The Intermediate People's Court of Garze held hearings on their criminal doings on Nov. 29, 2002.

On the basis of facts, the court on Dec. 2, 2002, gave A'an Zhaxi, a 52-year-old monk with Tibetan ethnic background, death sentence with a two-year reprieve for inciting the split of the country and scheming explosions.

Lorang Toinzhub, 28, a Tibetan farmer, was sentenced to death by the court for inciting the split of the country, scheming explosions, and unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition.

The intermediate court ascertained that the defendants had plotted explosions in public places for several times and given out leaflets that incited splitting the country and harmed the country's ethnic unity since the end of 2000.

From January 2001 to April 2002, Lorang Toinzhub detonated explosives and thrown off leaflets in four places including a downtown area of Kangding County and the Tianfu Square of Chengdu.One was seriously wounded and many others hurt in the explosions which also caused property loses of more than 800,000 yuan (96,400US dollars).

On Oct. 3, 2001, Lorang Toinzhub exploded the office building of the traffic police of Garze prefecture, killing one person and causing property loses of about 290,000 yuan (35,00 US dollars).

He was also found to have illegally possessed firearms and ammunition.

Evidences clearly showed that A'an Zhaxi and Lorang Toinzhub tried to sabotage the unity of the country and the unity of various ethnic groups. They ignited explosives in public places and engaged in crimes of terror. Both of them confessed their crimes.

According to the Criminal Law of China, the court ruled that they had committed crimes of inciting the split of the country and plotting explosions.

Lorang Toinzhub was sentenced to death and deprived of political right for life for committing crimes concerning explosions. He was given 12 years of imprisonment and deprived of political right for two years for inciting the split of the country. He was also rendered another three years of imprisonment for illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.

The court decided to impose death penalty against Lorang Toinzhub as a cumulative punishment for him.

A'an Zhaxi was sentenced to death penalty with a two-year suspension of execution and deprived of political right for life for committing crimes concerning explosions. He was also sentenced14 years in prison and deprived of political right for three yearsfor inciting the split of the country.

The court decided to impose death penalty with a two-year suspension of execution as a concurrent punishment for him.

The court did not hold an open hearing because some of the defendants' criminal acts were related to state secrets.

Lorang Toinzhub accepted the ruling and did not appeal. A'an Zhaxi appeal. The Sichuan Higher People's Court rejected his appeal in the second instance on Sunday.

In the first and second instances, A'an Zhaxi entrusted Chen Shichang and Yu Jianbo, two counsels from the Garze Prefectural Lawyers' Office, to defend on his side.

Lorang Toinzhub did not entrust a counsel for his defense. The Intermediate People's Court of Garze and the Sichuan Higher People's Court designated Kuai Qinghua and Liu Shijian, two lawyers fromthe same lawyers' office, to defend Lorang Toinzhub.

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