Tibetan Parliament Urges China to Withdraw False Weapons Charges against Tibetan Friday, 24 April 2009, 3:04 p.m.

Pangrina Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche

Dharamshala:
The Tibetan Government in Exile today expressed its “deep concern over
baseless accusation hurled by the PRC government on Phurbu Tsering
Rinpoche of Karze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, a predominantly
Tibetan area in Sichuan Province, on weapons charges”.Fifty-two years old Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, a senior Buddhist leader in Karze,
went on trial in a Chinese court Tuesday on weapons charges related to
last year’s protests and faces a lengthy prison term if convicted, his Beijing-based lawyer Li Fangping told The Associated Press in a phone interview.Li
said Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche was arrested on 18 May last year just days
after more than 80 nuns in the town of Karze held a demonstration
against an official campaign to impose “patriotic re-education” on
their nunneries in which they were required to denounce the Dalai Lama.
The lama headed the Pangri nunnery, one of the nunneries involved in
the protest.“We are
certain that Rinpoche is falsely implicated of owning a pistol and
bullets due to the participation of about 80 nuns from one of the
nunnery headed by him, in a peaceful demonstration in Ganzi in May last
year and for his popularity within the community, just as they
implicated Trulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche earlier. Rinpoche was arrested
on 18th May, 2008 and has suffered inhuman torture in prison and his
family has been under severe intimidation by the local government,” the
Tibetan Parliament in exile (TPiE) said in its press statement.
The TPiE said: “Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche is a very well respected Lama
for his service to the community in not only religious matters but also
social causes. Targeting Rinpoche for persecution and prosecution is
aimed at creating fear among the general public to resist from
participating in peaceful demonstrations. However, the Chinese
government should understand that such tactics contribute to further
aggravating the situation and alienating the Tibetans.”
“According to information, his case would be heard again on the 28th of
this month at Dhartsedo and if convicted, he could be jailed for up to
15 years for no fault of his. We thank Beijing based lawyer Li
Fangching for his attempt to defend Rinpoche and we seek similar help
from other lawyers to defend innocent Tibetans. We call on the
Government of China to withdraw the unfounded case and to refrain from
such random targeting of respected figures to instill fear among
Tibetans,” “We also urge the UN Human Rights Council to look
into the matter and call on the Human Rights Organisations and
Governments to intervene in this matter,” the TPiE said. Prosecutors
allege that a pistol and more than 100 bullets and cartridges were
found under a bed in Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche’s living room during a
police raid, but the monk has denied the allegation, saying he was
framed, Rinpoche’s lawyer Li said.”The charge is untenable,” Li said. “Police didn’t ask him about the source of the weapons or check for fingerprints.”Li
said the monk was forced into making a confession after a police
interrogation that lasted four days and threats that his wife and son
would be detained if he did not comply.Related:Chinese Lawyer Defends Tibetan Lama Over Framed Charge