The Chinese state media Xinhua reported on August 16 that the Intermediate People\u2019s Court in Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture had sentenced a Tibetan man, 32-year old Dolma Kyab (Chinese transliteration: Drolma Gya), to death for \u2018killing his wife and burning her body to make it look as if she had self-immolated.\u2019 Full details of the circumstances of Kunchok Wangmo\u2019s death are not known. The imposition of the death penalty is rare in Tibet and there are concerns that the verdict may have been influenced by political circumstances.<\/p>\n
The death penalty for \u2018homicide\u2019 was handed down by the Intermediate People\u2019s Court in Ngaba (Chinese: Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in. Sichuan (the Tibetan area of Amdo) on August 15. According to Xinhua, \u201cThe court found that at 11 p.m. on March 11, Drolma Gya choked his 29-year-old wife Kunchok Wangmo to death with a scarf in their apartment in Zoige [Tibetan: Dzoge] County following an argument over his drinking.\u201d The Xinhua report also stated that Dolma Kyab \u201cburned the body because he believed an apparent self-immolation would help him cover up the crime, as well as preserve his dignity and that of their daughter.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
According to Chinese law, the case must now be reviewed by a higher court. If a first trial by an intermediate people\u2019s court hands down the death penalty, the first appeal is conducted by a High People\u2019s Court\u2019 and also by the Supreme People\u2019s Court. The higher courts have the power to change the verdict, including to impose a death sentence suspended for two years, which generally means life imprisonment. If the death penalty is upheld without reprieve, the execution is generally carried out shortly afterwards.<\/p>\n
The circumstances of the case are still unclear due to the oppressive political environment and climate of fear in the area. According to some Tibetan sources, which could not be confirmed, Kunchok Wangmo set fire to herself late at night and died. Even while the details are not known, the authorities in Ngaba quickly sought to frame a case against Dolma Kyab, accusing him of killing his wife. Radio Free Asia and other Tibetan sources reported that on the morning after Kunchok Wangmo\u2019s death, security officials came to the family home and offered substantial bribes for Dolma Kyab to say that she had committed suicide due to family problems. The same sources say that his arrest followed his refusal to do so, although full details of the circumstances are not known.<\/p>\n
The Xinhua report makes no mention of any evidence in this case other than a \u2018confession\u2019 by Dolma Kyab. It is known that torture is frequently used to extract confessions in China, and that Tibetan prisoners are often tried secretly behind closed doors without legal counsel of their own choosing. Bhuchung Tsering, ICT\u2019s Interim President, said: \u201cThe news of this death sentence raises serious questions, particularly in such a politically-charged environment. Given the secretive nature of the detention and trial of Dolma Kyab, it appears that he may not have received a fair trial and due process.\u201d<\/p>\n
The International Campaign for Tibet called upon governments to seek an urgent review of the case.<\/p>\n
(Picture: Xinhua)\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
On August 16 it was reported that the Intermediate People\u2019s Court in Ngaba (Aba) Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture had sentenced a Tibetan man to death for \u2018killing his wife and burning her body to make it look as if she had self-immolated.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":11883,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categorie":[45,691],"news_tag":[673],"class_list":["post-11882","nieuws","type-nieuws","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categorie-inside-tibet","categorie-news","news_tag-repression"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n