TIBET UPDATE

ICT Tibet Update

Support Tibet | Get Updates

The Tibet Update eNewsletter is a bimonthly summary of news and governmental actions related to Tibet. Past issues in PDF format are located at http://www.savetibet.org/media-center/tibet-weekly-updates/.

INSIDE TIBET:

ICT Report: New devastation in Tibet; death toll exceeds 1,200

On August 8, an avalanche of mud and rock swept through a Tibetan area of Gansu Province in Northwest China. AFP reported on August 16 that the death toll had risen to 1,254, and that 490 people were still missing. The landslide demolished a large section of the town of Drugchu (Chinese: Zhouqu) in the south-east of Kanlho (Chinese: Gannan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Gansu, and poured into a river, damming the waterway and causing it to flood and submerge part of the town. A CNN report from the area said that more than 10,000 survivors were living in tents after their homes were obliterated. Read the complete ICT report . . .

ICT Report: Trial delayed for Tibetan writer imprisoned for critique of Chinese policies, expression of Tibetan identity

Tibetan writer and editor Tragyal, best known by his pen name, Shogdung (meaning "Morning Conch") is facing trial on the charge of inciting splittism. According to new reports, the authorities may be delaying Tragyal's prosecution, although it is not clear whether this means the authorities are seeking evidence for further charges against him, or querying the basis for the prosecution. Tragyal was detained on April 23, 2010 from his home in Xining following the publication of his now-banned book, "The Line between Sky and Earth." The book describes Tibet as becoming "a place of terror" and gives a detailed analysis of the 2008 spring protests. Read the complete ICT report . . .

Four Tibetans sentenced to varying prison terms in Sertha and Jomda Counties, Eastern Tibet

Oslo-based Voice of Tibet reported that Chinese authorities in Sertha county sentenced two Tibetans, Kalden and Sonam Topden to two and half years in prison on July 30. The two were arrested for pasting leaflets containing demands for Tibetan freedom and return of the Dalai Lama. Two other Tibetans, Galug and Wangchuk, from Jomda County in Dege were sentenced for one and half year and one year respectively. Galug and Wangchuk were among eight Tibetans arrested in October 2009 in Jomda for defying Chinese government orders to start farming activities. Read the complete story . . .

ICT Report: 'A sharp knife over his head': The trial and sentencing of three environmentalist brothers in Tibet

On August 3, 2010, lawyers for Karma Samdrup, a leading Tibetan environmentalist and philanthropist sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on June 24, learned that his appeal had been summarily rejected on July 7, the same day the court had received the case file. Karma Samdrup is one of three brothers who are all now either imprisoned or serving "re-education through labor." This ICT report presents new information and analysis of the legal shortcomings of the cases, including translations of key Chinese-language documentation relating to the cases, a copy of Karma Samdrup's complete sentencing document, and an analysis of the case by one of his Chinese lawyers. Read the complete ICT report . . .

ICT Report: Bold public expression of support for the Dalai Lama that led to imprisonment of Tibetan captured on video

On August 1, ICT made public rare footage of Runggye Adak, a Tibetan nomad serving an eight-year prison sentence for expressing Tibetans' loyalty to the Dalai Lama in front of an audience of thousands. The footage, subtitled in English, shows an extract of Runggye Adak's bold on-stage statement at the traditional Lithang Horse Festival in eastern Tibet on August 1, 2007. Adak was arrested and imprisoned in the moments after he seized the microphone to speak. Read the complete ICT report and view the footage . . .

Senior monk commits suicide as patriotic education campaign intensifies in Tibet

On July 27, 2010, the Tibetan government-in-exile said that it had received reliable information confirming the suicide of a 70 year-old monk of Shag Rongpo monastery in Nagchu County, TAR. The monk, Ngawang Gyatso, unable to withstand the rigorous patriotic re-education campaign enforced in his monastery, committed suicide on May 20. According to sources, the suicide note left by the deceased monk was confiscated by Chinese authorities and monks at the monastery were warned not to discuss it. Read the complete story . . .

TIBET ENVIRONMENT:

India taking up dam issue with China

On August 11, Minister of Power for Indian State of Arunachal Pradesh, Jabron Gamlin, told IANS that India is negotiating with the international community and the Chinese government over China's plans to construct a dam across the Brahmaputra in Tibet. Gamlin told IANS that, "China's constructing a dam is a cause of concern for us, but we are not certain how big this dam is and what affect it would have on people living downstream." Agriculture forms the backbone of the economy in both the Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh with nearly 80 percent of the 27 million people in the two states making their living through farming. India and China do not have a water-sharing agreement and, until recently, water sharing was never on the agenda of bilateral talks between the two countries. Read the complete story . . .

EUROPE:

Justice Without Borders: The Viability of Universal Jurisdiction the Spanish National Court's Historic Lawsuits for Tibet

Scholar and writer Karen Collier gives an update on the "new landscape of transitional justice" and outlines how the work of two dedicated and expert Tibet supporters, Alan Cantos and Jose Elias Esteve, has tested the limits of the Spanish judicial system. With regard to the new downturn in the political climate in Spain in cases seeking justice for those who have suffered human rights abuses, Alan Cantos says: "A massive principle and pillar of democracy has almost fallen: the 'universality' of Universal Justice and the separation of powers." Read the complete article . . .

FROM THE ICT BLOG:

China's Bad Press in Tibet - August 9, 2010

International Campaign for Tibet
1825 Jefferson Place NW | Washington, DC 20036
info@savetibet.org | 202-785-1515
http://www.savetibet.org/