In a statement on the UK Foreign Office website and the website of the UK Beijing Embassy, Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis condemned the execution of two Tibetans in Lhasa and called on China to urgently review the cases of those who remain under sentence of death.<\/p>\n
He said:<\/p>\n
“I condemn the recent executions in Lhasa of two Tibetans, Mr Lobsang Gyaltsen and Mr Loyak. We respect China’s right to bring those responsible for the violence in Tibet last year to justice. But the UK opposes the death penalty in all circumstances, and we have consistently raised our concerns about lack of due process in these cases in particular.<\/p>\n
I expressed my deep concern about these cases during my visit to Tibet in September and urged the authorities not to carry out the death sentence. We have also raised these concerns through the European Union.<\/p>\n
I call on China to review urgently the cases of those who remain under sentence of death for their alleged involvement in last year\u2019s unrest.”<\/p>\n