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Chinese police tortured Tibetan lama: lawyer
Beijing (AFP) April 22, 2009 A Tibetan lama who went on trial for weapons possession gave a false confession after Chinese police tortured him by depriving him of sleep for four days, his lawyer said Wednesday. Phurbu Rinpoche, the 52-year-old head of a nunnery in the restive prefecture of Ganzi in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was tried on Tuesday for his alleged role in deadly unrest that swept across the Tibetan plateau last year. The lama was detained on May 18 last year, four days after nuns staged a protest, his lawyer, Li Fangping, told AFP. "He is charged with possessing weapons, but he has denied that," Li said, adding Phurbu Rinpoche believed he had been set up. "As he is a living Buddha, his living room is open to everyone," Li said. "So from morning to evening, everyone is free to enter and he thinks there are some people who framed him." Phurbu Rinpoche confessed to the charges, but the lawyer said this was after the sleep deprivation torture. The lama faces five to 15 years in prison if found guilty. Li said the verdict was expected next Tuesday. Riots erupted in Tibet's capital Lhasa on March 14 last year after four days of peaceful protests against Chinese rule, and the unrest quickly spread to other Tibetan-inhabited areas of China including Ganzi. "This is the first time that a living Buddha is on trial after the March 14 incident, and we hope for a fair verdict," Li said. A judge at the Kangding court where the trial took place refused to comment or give his name when contacted by AFP on Wednesday. Local police in Ganzi county and prefecture could not be contacted to ask about the allegations of torture. China has said "rioters" were responsible for 21 deaths during the unrest, and that its security forces killed only one "insurgent." However, the exiled Tibetan government headed by the Dalai Lama has said more than 200 Tibetans were killed in China's crackdown. Since then, dozens of Tibetans have been tried for their role in the violence, and two have received the death sentence. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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