CHINA. NO DEATH PENALTY HANDED DOWN SO FAR OVER LHASA VIOLENCE
July 10, 2008: forty-two people have been jailed so far for their involvement in the March 14 riot in Tibet's capital Lhasa, but no death penalty has been handed down, a senior Chinese official said.
The people were convicted of arson, robbery, disrupting public order and assaulting government offices, among other crimes, Palma Trily, executive vice chairman of Tibet, said at a press conference for Indian and Italian journalists.
Sentences for the first 30 people were handed down on April 29 by the Intermediate People's Court of Lhasa, and ranged from three years to life.
On June 19 and 20, four local courts in Lhasa and the Shannan Prefecture announced prison terms for another 12.
Meanwhile, another 116 suspects were on trial, said Trily. "It would be decided under Chinese laws whether some would be sentenced to death," he said. (Sources: Chinaview.cn, 11/07/2008)
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