Judicial Murders Return to Tibet

Last week The Guardian newspaper reported last week that two executions took place in Tibet.

LJ says

"No surprises really. Many more have been executed over the Xinjiang unrest (Chinese and Uighurs) Don't you love the British hypocrisy? We have been involved in two illegal wars (occupations) in Iraq and Afghanistan which have cause the death of hundreds of thousands and will not bring the man responsible to justice! (Not having the death penalty is of course one of Britain's good points.)

The EU were quick to condemn these murders and questioned whether the two convicted Tibetans had had fair trials.

China have been quick to respond.

"We express strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the statement issued by the European side," foreign ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a response posted on the ministry's website late on Friday.

Ma said on Tuesday that the two Tibetans had been executed for their role in deadly ethnic unrest that rocked the region in March of last year, the first known use of capital punishment over the violence.

Fierce anti-China protests erupted in Lhasa and spread across Tibet and adjacent areas with Tibetan populations, embarrassing the government as it sought to play up national unity in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

Ma repeated China's insistence that the unrest was planned and organised by what it calls a Dalai Lama "clique," a claim that it has never publicly backed up with any evidence.

He said China rejected "interference" in its domestic affairs.

"We ask that Europe adhere to the principle of equality and mutual respect, and not send wrong signals to 'Tibet independence' separatist forces, so that healthy and stable development of China-Europe relations can be maintained."

China has said "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths in last year's violence, while its security forces killed only one "insurgent."

But the exiled Tibetan government has said more than 200 Tibetans were killed in the subsequent crackdown.