Tibetans jailed for posting His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s photos onlineTuesday, 8 December 2009, 2:33 p.m.
Dharamshala:
Two Tibetan web users have been sentenced to three years in jail for
uploading pictures of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on the Internet, a
Paris-based rights group reported on 4 December. Two young
Tibetans, identified as Gyaltsing and Nyima Wangdu, have just been
given three-year jail sentences for posting photos of the Dalai Lama
online. The exact date of their conviction is not known but it is
believed to have been three or four days ago. They were convicted on
charges of “communicating information to contacts outside China”,
Reporters without Borders said.They have been detained in Lhasa
since 1 October. Their families, who have not been able to visit them
in prison or obtain any information about them, are concerned for their
health.Three other Internet users, identified as Yeshi Namkha,
Anne (a pseudonym) and Thupten, were arrested for similar reasons on 1
December but have not yet been tried. It is not known where they are
being held.“All these young Tibetan Internet users did was exchange photos of Tibet’s spiritual leader,” Reporters Without Borders said. “We call for their immediate release and the withdrawal of all the charges. These convictions are absurd,” the group said.
