Sept. 24
NEPAL/CHINA:
Maoists condemn China's death sentence on comrades:
Nepal's Maoists have condemned the death sentence awarded in China to tw
of their comrades, calling it "barbaric" and "medieval".
Last week Nepal's foreign ministry disclosed that a court in Tibet had
convicted 4 Nepalese for arms smuggling. While 2 received jail terms for 4
and 7 years respectively, two others got the death sentence.
The men were reportedly arrested from Khasa Bazar in a town on the
Nepal-Tibet border in possession of large quantities of Chinese firearms
and explosives.
While the foreign ministry professed to have no further information about
the 4 men, the Nepalese media Thursday reported that the 2 men on death
row were Maoists.
Hiralal Shrestha, also known by his nom de guerre Ananda, is liable to be
executed any time while Gyaltsen Sherpa will be executed in 2 years, the
reports said.
Both men are from remote Sindhupalchowk district in north-central Nepal,
close to the Tibetan border.
Both the Nepalese government and Amnesty International have urged Beijing
to stay the death sentences.
Reacting angrily to the verdict, the Maoists issued a statement condemning
China for retaining medieval customs while being in the 21st century.
The statement, signed by a Maoist leader known only as Asmita, denied that
Shrestha was involved in arms smuggling. She said he was carrying a
limited amount of firearms to ensure his personal safety and urged Beijing
to commute the death sentence.
Media reports said Shrestha had earlier been arrested in Nepal for alleged
involvement in Maoist activities.
Currently, a Tibetan court is reviewing the case of 2 Nepalese earlier
sentenced to death for drug smuggling.
The Nepalese government, rights organisations and Amnesty had been urging
Beijing for a re-trial, expressing doubts over whether the men had access
to interpreters and understood the charge against them.
Stung by the furore created in Nepal after the 2 men's wives began a
signature campaign claiming their husbands were innocent, Beijing ordered
a re-trial but warned it would not tolerate criticism of its judiciary.
(source: Indo-Asian News Service)
