Runggye Adak, Adak Lopoe and two others are sentenced for up to ten years

3 December 2007


Left to right: Runggye Adak, Adak Lopoe, Kunkhyen, Lothok

Runggye Adak, his nephew Adak Lopoe and two others were sentenced on 20th November at Kardze intermediate court in Sichuan Province (Tibetan area of Kham)

According to Radio Free Asia all four men protested their sentences, calling out: "This is not a fair trial" and "We cannot accept this decision".

The official China news agency, Xinhua, reported that Runggye Adak (Chinese transliteration: Rongji Azha) received eight years' imprisonment for "inciting to split the country" and for "severely disrupting public order".
Runggye Adak told the court:

"I wanted His Holiness to return, and I wanted to raise Tibetan concerns and grievances, as there is no outlet for us to do so. That made me sad and made me act."

Three others, connected to Adak, were sentenced on charges of "endangering national security" by attempting to provide pictures and information to "foreign organisations"

·      Adak Lopoe (Chinese transliteration: Lubo), Runggye Adak's nephew, who is a respected senior monk from Lithang monastery, received the longest sentence, 10 years, for "colluding with foreign separatist force to split the country and distributing political pamphlets".

·      Tibet singer and art teacher, Kunkhyen (Chinese: Jacmyang Qoinqen) was sentenced to nine years on charges of "carrying out splittist activities",

·      Jarib Lothok, received a three-year sentence for helping to send photos abroad.

It is extremely significant that those accused and convicted of sending information and photos of the incident to the outside world received heavier sentences than Runggye Adak, the original protester. China is clearly sending a warning to Tibetans that anyone trying to expose the reality of its occupation of Tibet will be punished severely. In the run up to the Beijing Olympics, China is determined to conceal its ruthless oppression from the outside world.

Free Tibet Campaign is calling for the immediate release of all four men, who have been convicted on trumped up charges. We are concerned for their well being as torture of political prisoners is routine practice in Tibetan prisons.

Background: (For more details see Urgent Campaigns from 8 August and 1 November) Runggye Adak (also Rongye Adak or Runggye Adrak) is a Tibetan nomad from Yonru Kharshul, a village near Lithang in the Tibetan region of Kham. On 1 August 2007 during the famous Lithang horse racing festival, he seized the microphone during an official speech and called for the return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet, and the release of the Panchen Lama and Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche. Runggye Adak was detained immediately and formally arrested on 27 August. His arrest sparked large-scale protests, with local people demanding his release for several days before being forcefully dispersed by riot police. Dozens of others were arrested later, including his nephew, Adak Lopoe. On 29 October 2007 Runggye Adak was found guilty of four counts of 'crimes' ranging from disruption of law and order to state subversion.

Thank you to those of you who have already sent letters and post cards demanding the pre-conviction release of Runggye Adak and Adak Lopoe.
We need your help again.

TAKE ACTION!

1.     Write to your MP and ask him or her to contact Lord Malloch-Brown, Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN.

As a constituent your MP has a responsibility to listen to you and raise issues on your behalf with relevant Ministers (who are not accountable to members of the public in the same way). By writing to your MP, and requesting a response from the relevant Minister, your concern about Tibet is reaching two important audiences and is triggering the appropriate mechanism for government action.

(Your MP’s name)
The House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

You can find out who your MP is and send him or her an e-mail via the website www.writetothem.com.
If you do not have access to the Internet, you can find out who your MP is by ringing the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272.

Please ask your MP to:

i.               Sign Early Day Motion (EDM) 347 tabled by Norman Baker MP calling for Runggye Adak's release (you can find more information on the EDM here.

ii.             Write to Lord Malloch-Brown and ask him to publicly condemn the sentencing of Runggye Adak, Adak Lopoe, Kunkhyen and Lothok and call on the Chinese authorities to release them immediately.

iii.            Write to the Chinese Ambassador and call for the four men's immediate release.

2.    We also need you to write to the Chinese Ambassador in London.

Madam Fu Ying
Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to the United Kingdom
49-51 Portland Place
London
W1B 1JL
E-mail: press@chinese-embassy.org.uk
Fax: 020 7636 5578

Tell her that:

i.               The sentencing of Runggye Adak, Lopoe, Kunkhyen and Lothok will be viewed by the outside world as proof that the Chinese government does not respect the fundamental right of the Tibetan people to freely express their opinion, as enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

ii.             If China is to be respected as leader on the global stage, and a truly worthy Olympic host, it must demonstrate to the world that it respects the rights of the Tibetan people, as set out in both Chinese and international law.

iii.            The prisoners should be released immediately.

 

 

Please send copies of any responses to Free Tibet Campaign; this helps us to monitor the situation. 

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