EU Condemns Execution of Tibetans, Urges China to Commute Death SentencesFriday, 30 October 2009, 9:23 a.m.
Dharamshala:
The Chinese government on Thursday drew condemnation from the European
Union over its arbitrary execution of Tibetans allegedly involved in
the 2008 Tibet protests.”The European Union condemns the recent
executions of two Tibetans, Mr Lobsang Gyaltsen and Mr Loyak,” the
Swedish EU Presidency said in a declaration on behalf of the 27-bloc
nation.”On the basis of its principled opposition to the death
penalty, the EU, on 8 May 2009, called for a commutation of the death
sentences handed down by Lhasa Intermediate People’s Court to several
Tibetans, among them Mr Lobsang Gyaltsen and Mr Loyak, following the
Lhasa riots in March 2008.” “The EU respects China’s right to
bring those responsible for the violence to justice but reaffirms its
longstanding opposition to the use of the death penalty under all
circumstances. The EU also recalls that in case the death penalty is
maintained, internationally recognised minimum standards must be
respected. These include all possible safeguards to ensure a fair trial
and adequate representation. The EU reiterates its concerns about the
conditions under which the trials were conducted, especially with
regard to whether due process and other safeguards for a fair trial
were respected.””The EU calls on China to commute all sentences
of death imposed on persons for their alleged involvement in the Lhasa
riots in March 2008.””The EU continues to call on the Chinese
authorities to abolish the death penalty completely and, as a first
step, to establish a moratorium as urged by the United Nations General
Assembly in its resolutions 62/149 and 63/168.” “The Candidate
Countries Turkey, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process
and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro,
and the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, members of
the European Economic Area, as well as the Republic of Moldova align
themselves with this declaration,” the statement noted.Penkyi,
aged 21, born in Sakya County and a fourth person whose identity is not
known, were also executed in Lhasa on 20 October.
