[1]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\nUpon arrival at the prison, the lawyer was told that the \u201ccrime\u201d involved in this case was \u201csensitive\u201d and that he could not meet with Wangchuk; approval was needed at a higher provincial level. The lawyer was told that Wangchuk was complying with the \u201crules of supervision\u201d but that he still did not plead guilty to the charges against him. The lawyer said that he hoped a meeting as part of the petition process would soon be allowed as \u201csupported by law,\u201d according to the twitter posting. The timing is regarded as crucial as there are specific allotted timeframes for submitting petitions.<\/p>\n
Wangchuk\u2019s lawyers, who had limited access to him during his pre-trial detention, reported that he was tortured during his first week in detention, being held for a lengthy period in a \u201ctiger chair\u201d where he was subjected to interrogation and repeatedly beaten. His interrogators also threatened to harm his family.[2]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\nThe verdict against Wangchuk, handed down by a court in Yushu, Qinghai, highlights China\u2019s harsh and extreme approach to Tibetan culture and criminalization of moderate, peaceful efforts within Chinese law to protect the Tibetan language.<\/p>\n
In the first known instance of an international news story being used in a criminal prosecution against a Tibetan, the New York Times video was used in court as evidence\u2014despite Wangchuk\u2019s clear disavowals of separatism and his stated intention to use Chinese law to protect the Tibetan language.[3]<\/sup><\/span> Wangchuk pleaded not guilty.<\/p>\nWangchuk and his lawyer denied charges of \u2018separatism,\u2019 with his lawyer stating to the Associated Press that: \u201cThe prosecutors are ideologically too strong.\u201d (Associated Press, January 4, 2018).<\/p>\n
In China, prison terms begin on the date of detention, meaning that he will be due for release in early 2021. Governments and parliamentarians across the world have called for his immediate release, and in February 2018, six UN human rights experts condemned the \u201ccriminalization of linguistic and cultural rights advocacy\u201d and called for Wangchuk to be freed from prison.[4]<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\nIn the New York Times video, Tashi Wangchuk, who ran a shop in Yushu, spoke about his anxiety over the survival of Tibetan culture, linked to the erosion of the language. China\u2019s Constitution specifies the right of \u2018ethnic minorities\u2019 to speak their own language.<\/p>\n
Wangchuk is among a younger generation in Tibet who have prioritized protection of the Tibetan language, the bedrock of their cultural and religious identity, framing their concerns in the context of Chinese law and official regulations. In the New York Times documentary, Wangchuk says: \u201cI want to try to use the People\u2019s Republic of China\u2019s laws to solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
Matteo Mecacci, President of the International Campaign for Tibet said: \u201cThe unlawful conviction and torture of Tashi Wangchuk is a tragic reminder of the injustice faced by Tibetans who seek to preserve their culture and language under Chinese rule.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy using a New York Times interview in court to prove Tashi Wangchuk\u2019s case, Beijing has decided also to target the legitimate work of the foreign press, in another violation of the principle of reciprocity. While China continues to take advantage of the freedom of movement and of the press provided by the United States and other countries in order to spread its propaganda, it regularly blocks access to Tibet. Over the past 10 years, nearly three times as many Chinese official delegations have visited Western countries compared to the number of Western delegations allowed into Tibet. Similarly, while Chinese journalists can freely visit abroad, it is very rare that foreign journalists are allowed to visit Tibet. And when there are occasional stories like the one published by the New York Times about Tashi Wangchuk, we can see what how illegitimately the Chinese government responds. After the approval of the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act last December, we call on the United States to fully implement the legislation and we urge China to release Tashi Wangchuk from detention.\u201d<\/p>\n \n
Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n