Chinese lawyers punished for trying to help Tibetans

Chinese lawyers who offered voluntary legal support for Tibetans charged with involvement in the protests that erupted in Tibet in March have been denied renewal of their licenses. At least three of the original group of Chinese lawyers who offered their services to the Tibetans may now lose the ability to practice law in China.

At a news conference in Hong Kong yesterday, China Human Rights Lawyers’ Concern Group chairman Albert Ho identified the three lawyers as Teng Biao and Li Heping from Beijing and Zhang Jiankang from the northern city of Xian.

However, according to an AP report, “he also said there were others whom he didn’t want to name because he didn’t want to jeopardize their status.”

Also on Friday, Human Rights Watch spoke about two of the lawyers, Teng Biao and Zhang Jiankang, which they say have “distinguished records of defending civil and human rights cases:”

“Beijing is trying to intimidate the legal profession by suspending these two lawyers and threatening not to renew many licenses,” said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. “The goals are to deter lawyers from representing human rights cases, and to deter firms from employing lawyers who want those cases.”

Although the Chinese government and its supporters like to claim that Tibetans have rights under Chinese law and that the Chinese constitution China’s autonomy laws protect Tibetans this is clearly not the case. There is no true rule of law in China or Tibet. Tibetans are at the mercy of the Chinese authorities and the “law” is only used when and however it suits them. As it is, a “fair trial” for a Chinese person is unlikely if it means going up against the government or government interests. Just look at what happened to Hu Jia. The idea that a Tibetan could actually receive a “fair trial” in a case involving “separatism” is laughable.

And so now Tibetans are being tried and convicted behind closed doors with secret evidence. As long as China remains a one-party state where “rule of law” is designed only to preserve the power of the Communist Party, nobody can help them– not even the most brilliant and courageous Chinese lawyers. For them, and any other person in China considering advocating for the rights of Tibetans within the system, the message from the authorities is clear: “Stay away from Tibet or you will pay.”

I have a simple message too for the Chinese lawyers Teng Biao, Li Heping, and Zhang Jiankang. It is a small consolation but I can assure you that I and many others deeply appreciate your courage – and unfortunately, your sacrifice – to see that justice is served.

FINDING THE LOST HORIZON: Update from the March to Tibet

“When the clouds part, you can see Tibet on the horizon,” said Ven. Ngawang Woeber.

He dipped his face in the river at Baanspatan, and joked that monks don’t need to use soap because they have renounced vanity. A couple of hours later, Ven. Woeber was arrested. A former political prisoner, he is the president of Gu Chu Sum, one of the five organizations coordinating the historic March to Tibet, which started in Dharamsala on March 10th. Along with him, five other leaders of the march were also arrested on Tuesday and formally jailed yesterday afternoon in Haridwar Jail. The other detainees are Tsewang Rigzin, President of Tibetan Youth Congress; B Tsering, President of Tibetan Women’s Association, Chime Youngdroung, President of the National Democratic Party of Tibet, Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet India, and Lobsang Yeshi, Coordinator of the March to Tibet.

The last few days have been tense and painful for the marchers. Hours after the arrest of the march leaders on Tuesday, the police confiscated their trucks and intensified the restriction on movement to and from the site, effectively cutting the marchers off from food and other supplies. The marchers are now considering the possibility of eating only one meal a day so that they can hold the ground for a little longer.

The day before yesterday, nearly one thousand police marched to the marchers’ camp and blocked the entrance. Sensing the likelihood of arrest, the marchers sprung into action, staging a Gandhian style sit-in while chanting prayers and singing the Tibetan national anthem. After a stalemate that lasted about an hour, the police retreated. Yesterday, the same thing happened again. Today, more buses and trucks brought more police reinforcements including a bus full of policewomen.

In the evenings, the atmosphere grows light again. Most Tibetan monks and nuns seem to have an uncanny ability to remain calm and happy even under great pressure. Or may be it’s because most of these marchers are actually Tibetans raised in Tibet who came to India in their late adolescence or early adulthood, and the problems they have faced so far on this march are nothing compared to what they had experienced growing up under Chinese rule in Tibet.

Most marchers and volunteers get to take a little breather in the evening, but one person never stops. Lobsang Army, so called because of his past stint in the military, is busy stitching shoe after shoe under a small blue tent. He is the march’s unofficial shoemaker. When he was in the army he had taken a shoe repair class – a skill he had forgotten and had to relearn once he realized that walking twenty kilometers a day was rough on people’s shoes. Lobsang has so far repaired about 200 shoes.

There is little doubt that the police will eventually arrest them, but the fact remains that no one can stop these marchers. “The police may arrest us today, but we will continue the march tomorrow,” said Tenzin Tsundue, a leading youth activist, who has lost much weight since I saw him last. “I heard that people have set off from parts of India to join us. We can’t wait to see them. The more people we have with us, the stronger our message to Tibetans inside Tibet, to China and to the world – we are committed to return and will never give up our struggle for freedom and justice.”

As the Chinese authorities work overtime to ensure a smooth Olympics, and attempt to hide the reality of their rule in Tibet behind a wall of silence and deceit, the movement of this group of unarmed men and women threatens Beijing’s massive propaganda exercise. They are a nonviolent force dedicated to their people, their nation and the truth. They refuse to be silenced at a time when China’s long arm of oppression and manipulation stretches around the world. Their journey north – towards the border across which so many Tibetans have crossed in search of freedom – demonstrates their commitment.

As the stand-off continues, marchers are calling for Tibetans from throughout India to join them in spirit and in person. And they are appealing for support from people around the world who value freedom, justice and peace. Visit www.tibetanuprising.org to follow news about the March. Send a message of encouragement to the marchers. Tell your friends and family about it. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. And keep the marchers in your prayers.

–dispatch from SFT’s Tendor, writing from Nainital, Uttaranchal, India

FINDING THE LOST HORIZON: Update from the March to Tibet

“When the clouds part, you can see Tibet on the horizon,” said Ven. Ngawang Woebar.

He dipped his face in the river at Banspatan, and joked that monks don’t need to use soap because they have renounced vanity. A couple of hours later, Ven. Woeber was arrested. A former political prisoner, he is the president of Gu Chu Sum, one of the five organizations coordinating the historic March to Tibet, which started in Dharamsala on March 10th. Along with him, five other leaders of the march were also arrested on Tuesday and formally jailed yesterday afternoon in Haridwar Jail. The other detainees are Tsewang Rigzin, President of Tibetan Youth Congress; B Tsering, President of Tibetan Women’s Association, Chime Youngdroung, President of the National Democratic Party of Tibet, Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet India, and Lobsang Yeshi, Coordinator of the March to Tibet. (more…)

The March to Tibet: Walking with Peaceful Soldiers

Tibetan World
APR 25 - MAY 24 2008, Vol IV Issue 8

The March to Tibet has been on the road since March 10 and now approach the Tibetan border. They likely will face another round of arrests in the next few days. You can follow their journey at the Tibetan People’s Uprising Movement website: www.tibetanuprising.org

Tenzin Choedon wants to see her homeland for the first time. She declares, “I have always told my parents I was born in India but I want to die in Tibet.” The 24-year-old Tibetan girl gave up everything to be the nurse for the March to Tibet. She broke the contract for her first nursing job after college and will have to pay a 30,000Rs (750 USD) penalty to get back her nursing certificates. She left without telling her family because she knew they would not approve. “I have the world of my family, my schooling, my career and I have the world of freedom for my people. I choose to give up the first to work for the second.” She plans to cross the Tibetan border, facing torture or death from the Chinese police, and lances the blisters of monks and nuns along the way. (more…)

Press Release: Presidents Transferred to Jail

For Immediate Release:
May 30, 2008

Contact: Tenzin Choedon (English, Tibetan, Hindi): +91 975 696 9133
Pema Dorjee (English): +91 992 760 6204

PRESIDENTS OF FIVE TIBETAN NGOs TRANSFERRED TO JAIL IN HARDWAR

Nainital - At approximately 3:30 PM yesterday, the five Presidents of the leading Tibetan non-governmental organizations in India, Tsewang Rigzin, B Tsering, Ngawang Woebar, Chime Youngdrung, and Tenzin Choeying, and one coordinator of the March to Tibet, Lobsang Yeshi, were transferred from Haldwani Police Station to Roshanabad Jail in Hardwar. They are being held under Indian Penal Code Section 151 and CRPC sections 106 and 107, according to which the Presidents, as organizers of the March to Tibet, are being accused of jeopardizing the lives of the 300 marchers. (more…)