http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Chinese-riot-trials-of-Tibetans-flawed-HRW/303561/
Chinese 'riot trials' of Tibetans flawed: HRW
Agencies
Posted online: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 08:43:13
Updated: Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 10:09:21 Print Email To Editor
Post Comments
New York, April 30: The trials of 30 Tibetans, which led to their
conviction for alleged role in worst anti-Beijing protests since 1989,
were 'not open' and 'public' as claimed by the China, a leading rights
watchdog alleged on Wednesday.
While the re****ts from the official Xinhua news agency termed the
proceedings as an "open court session", the actual trials had been
conducted covertly on undisclosed dates earlier in April, Human Rights
Watch said.
"Guilty or innocent, these Tibetans are entitled to a fair trial,"
said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at HRW.
"Instead, they were tried on secret evidence behind closed doors and
without the benefit of a meaningful defence by lawyers they'd chosen,"
she said.
The Intermediate People's Court in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet
Autonomous Region (TAR), conducted a "sentencing rally" (xuanpan
dahui) on Tuesday, during which Tibetans, including six monks, were
handed over sentences, ranging from three years to life imprisonment.
HRW said that severe flaws in the regional authorities' handling of
the Tibetan protests precluded fair trials of people suspected of
having participated in the disturbances.
These flaws included a consistent failure to establish a distinction
between peaceful and violent protesters, remarks by the Public
Prosecution at the time of suspects' arrest that assumed their guilt
rather than innocence and secret trial proceedings.
In addition, these 30 Tibetans may have been denied their right to
their own counsel, the rights watchdog said.
Besides, all the lawyers who had publicly offered to defend Tibetans
were forced to withdraw their assistance after judicial authorities in
Beijing threatened to discipline them and suspend their professional
licenses, it added.
|
