5 Chinese, Nepalese arms smugglers given commuted sentences

China gave a commuted sentence on January 4 to five criminal suspects including two Nepalese on charge of smuggling weaponry and ammunition.

In the second instance trial of the case held on Tuesday, the Higher People's Court of the Tibetan Autonomous Region sentenced Ananda of Nepalese nationality to death penalty with a two-year reprieve and had all his personal properties confiscated for smuggling arms and ammunition.

In the same case, a Tibetan, named Qubzhag, was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve and had all his personal properties confiscated for illegally sale of arms and ammunition.

Meanwhile, another Nepalese, named Gyaljen, and two other Tibetans, Celo and Lobsang Qoizhag, were commuted from death penalty to life term. All Gyaljen's personal properties was confiscated.

The sentences were final adjudication.

Court investigation showed that Qubzhag sold 270 rounds of rifle bullets to Ananda in April 2003 and bought a submachine gun modeled on the "August 1" type in northwest Xining, capital of northwestern China's Qinghai Province and purchased another 2,000 rounds of bullets in southwestern Sichuan Province with the help of Lobsang Qoizhag in the June-October period of 2003. Then Qubzhag and Celo shipped the submachine gun and bullets to Zhangmu County in Tibet and sold them to Ananda and Gyaljen who transferred the arms and ammunition out of China later.

In October 2000, Qubzhag bought eight submachine guns, six pistols and 70 rounds of bullets, which were forwarded to Qubzhag and Lobsang Qoizhag at Zhangmu County of Tibet and subsequently sold to Ananda and Gyaljen. When those hired by Ananda sneaked the arms and ammunition out of China at his order, they were captured by Chinese public security officers.

The Xigaze Intermediate People's Court gave capital punishment to Qubzhag, Celo, Ananda, Gyaljen and Lobsang Qoizhag in the first instance trial held on Aug. 27, 2004.

In the second instance, the court held Ananda and Gyaljen had violated the Chinese law by illegal purchase of weaponry and ammunition in the Chinese territory and smuggling them out of China. As they were principal culprits and the case was grave, they deserve severe penalty.

The court, nevertheless, gave both Ananda and Gyaljen a commuted sentence in view of the fact that Ananda had confessed all his crimes and Gyaljen was an accomplice and repented.

The Tibetan Regional Higher People's Court promptly informed the related case situation to the consulate general of Nepal in Lhasa, capital of Tibet. And officials of the Nepalese consulate had visited defendants of the Nepalese nationality.

Source: Xinhua