08 November 2006
Monks sentenced
(ICT) Tibetan monks Gendun (Chinese: Gengdeng; 31) and Jamphel Gyatso (Chin: Jiahua Jiancuo, 26), both from Tsigorthang (Chin: Xinghai) county in Tsolho (Chin: Hainan), have been charged for "the crime of incitement to split the state" and sentenced to four and three years in prison respectively by the Xining City Intermediate People's Procuratorate. The sentencing document dated 06 December 2005 states that the monks "wantonly advocated the reactionary splittist opinion of 'Tibetan independence'", "damaged the unity of the ethnic groups" and "delivered reactionary splittist propaganda among young people, that the circumstances were serious and there was great harm done to society". Gendun, was detained on 02 April 2005 after a gathering in front of Tibetan students at Hainan college in December 2004 at which also Jamphel Gyamtso participated. Other participants were also detained but released soon afterwards. Jamphel Gyamtso was formally arrested on 29 April 2005 for delivering "a poisonous speech of reactionary propaganda" at the gathering. At the time that Gedun was arrested, Jamphel Gyamtso had served two months of a three-year 're-education through labour' term for publishing and distributing 'illegal printed materials'. Gendun is due to be released on 01 April 2009, Jamphel Gyamtso on 01 April 2008.