11 US Congressmen appeal Sec. Kerry to raise Tibetan political prisoners' issue with Beijing/ENG

2016. április 2./Phayul.com/TibetPress

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By Tenzin Monlam

DHARAMSHALA, April 2: A group of eleven US Members of Congress on 31 March wrote a plea letter to the John Kerry, the US Secretary of State to raise the issue of Tibetan political prisoners under the Chinese prison system and urged to press China to prioritize the release of the three political prisoners mentioned in their letter.

The three Tibetan political prisoners are Khenpo Karma Tsewang a.k.a Khenpo Kartse, Lobsang Kunchok and Thabkhe Gyatso.

Khenpo Karma Tsewang is a well-known and respected abbot who advocated environmental activism, relief works and commitment to the preservation of Tibetan language. He was detained in 2013 and sentenced to two and half years in Chinese prison.

Lobsang Kunchok is a Tibetan monk sentenced to death with a two-year suspension for allegedly sending information related to self-immolation to exile.

Thabke Gyatso, monk and writer was arrested for distributing the Tibetan flags during the 2008 uprising inside Tibet. He is serving a 15-year prison sentence in Chinese prison.

“We write today to express our deep concern about three Tibetan political prisoners, while noting that there are hundreds of other documented Tibetan political prisoners currently being held in Chinese prisons similarly worthy of our concern and attention,” the letter stated.

The group requested the Secretary of State, the US Embassy in Beijing and the US Consulate in Chengdu to raise their cases with the Chinese government and make every effort to know their whereabouts and health conditions. They also urged Secretary Kerry to press China for necessary medical treatment and prioritize their release.

Khenpo Kartse, the abbot of Shabgon monastery in Tibet's Nangchen region, was arrested on the night of December 6 2013 in Chengdu and sentenced to two and half years. He was known for his social work and the promotion of Tibetan language, culture and religion.

On January 31, 2013 Chinese courts in eastern Tibet sentenced monk Lobsang Kunchok to death with a two-year reprieve for ‘instigating’ self-immolations and Thabkhe Gyatso, a monk and a writer, is serving a 15-year prison sentence for distributing Tibetan flags during the uprising of 2008.

“The imprisonment of these individuals, who have so much to contribute to Tibetan society and who did nothing other than exercise their fundamental human rights is a grave tragedy and injustice. Again, we urge you to prioritize their cases in your discussions with Chinese officials and press for their immediate release,” they letter concluded.

The letter was cosigned by Michael E Capuano, Christopher H Smith, James P McGovern, James F Sensenbrenner Jr, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Donald S Beyer Jr, Yvette D Clarke, Mark Pocan, Dana Rohrabacher, Peter Welch and David Rouzer.

Xi Jinping’s arrival in Washington for the ‘Nuclear Security Summit’ on March 31 saw pro Tibetan demonstrators from Students for a Free Tibet, Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetan National Congress protesting Xi’s visit. Protesters carrying Tibetan national flags stood outside the venue for the summit carrying banners that read, ‘Xi Jinping - global Security Hazard’, among others.

With inputs from Tenzin Dharpo