Chinese Court postpones judgment on Tibetan LamaTuesday, 28 April 2009, 3:12 p.m.

Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche

Dharamshala: A Chinese court on Monday postponed its verdict on Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, revered lama of Kardze (Ganzi) Tibet Autonomous Prefecture (incorporated into China’s Sichuan Province) accused of keeping weapons, said the media reports that his lawyers said.Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche was arrested on 18 May last year after the nuns of Pangri nunnery protested against the ‘patriotic re-education’ in which they were required to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The Rinpoche headed the Pangri nunnery, one of the nunneries involved in the protest.  Li Fangping, one of the two Chinese lawyers defending Rinpoche said, “They notified me that the date to announce a verdict had been postponed. There is no new date. They said they would let me know in due course.” It is said that the verdict is deferred after several foreign news organizations reported on the case last week. The Rinpoche was accused of keeping weapons and illegal possession of public land. Mr. Jiang Tianyong, lawyer of Rinpoche told The Times, “The living room of such a venerated monk is a public place with people coming and going every day. Someone could have put the weapons there. His wife has said she had never seen them before when cleaning the house.” Mr. Jiang further said that the court had made no attempt to investigate the weapon charges. For the illegal occupation of land Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche has spent 70,000 yuan (£7,000) of his money to buy the plot on which he built the old people’s home.Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche remains in custody and has been tortured, according to his lawyers as reported by the International Campaign for Tibet based in Washington.The two defending lawyers have said that due to harsh interrogation the Rinpoche had no option but to go against his will and confess. According to verifications in court, when the defendant was arraigned at Luhuo (Drango County in Kardze TAP, Sichuan Province) Detention Center, he was handcuffed. He was interrogated continuously for four days and four nights by a team of six people in three units of two people. At the same time the defendant was told that if he did not confess that the weapons and explosive were his, then his wife and son would be detained.An anonymous source who knows Rinpoche well told ICT that the Rinpoche was deeply concerned about changes in Tibet and Tibetan culture. He never attacked nor criticized the Chinese government or the local authorities with whom he has always tried to maintain a healthy and mutually respectful dialogue. He has always been interested in finding compromises rather than aiming at harsh and aggressive resolutions.