Dec. 16
INDIA:
Death sentence for man who raped baby -- 22-year-old took 1 1/2-yr-old to
temple where he raped, killed her
A fast-track court in Mehsana district on Wednesday sentenced a
22-year-old youth accused of the rape and murder of a
one-and-half-year-old girl to death.
Passing the death sentence order on Balwant Thakore, Additional Sessions
Judge S M Patel observed that "even though the case does not fall in the
rarest of rare category, it is a ghastly incident and a heinous crime
which was committed on a baby girl."
Balwant, a resident of Malikpur in Vadnagar town, was acquainted with
Jagdish Rawal, the babys father, and her family.
He worked as a daily-wager on the outskirts of Mehsana town and had taken
the baby, with her mothers permission, to a nearby temple on April 29,
2003, where he raped and then strangled her. He dumped the body near a
well and fled.
Additi nal Public Prosecutor J C Goswami said Balwant had told the babys
mother that he would have the child back home before sunset. When he did
not return, Jagdish Rawal informed the Panchayat.
The villagers started searching for Balwant and the girl. In the wee hours
of April 30, 2003, Chaman Vaghri, a villager who is also complainant in
the case, found Balwant near his residence in an inebriated state. Vaghri
informed the Panchayat and the police, who found the babys body.
Balwant confessed, after which he was arrested by Vadnagar police who
booked him on charges of raping and killing a minor girl.
During the proceedings, the court recorded the statements of 18 villagers,
which included the babys mother and a priest who had seen Balwant with the
girl.
2 doctors, who conducted the post-mortem, had told the court that all
medical tests had proved that Balwant had raped the girl. The court also
admitted 18 documentary evidences, including the FSL and the post-mortem
reports.
(source: Indian Express)
CHINA:
Death Sentence For Bangri Rinpoche Commuted to Life Imprisonment
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy received reliable
information on Bangri Rinpoches arrest of 26 August 1999. (Ref: TCHRD
Update January 2000 & December 2003) (Background detail on Bangri Rinpoche
attached below)
It has come to light through reliable sources to TCHRD- that in May 2001,
Bangri Rinpoche was sentenced to death with two years suspension on
charges of "espionage" and "endangering state security" by the Lhasa
Municipality Intermediate People's Court. Nima Choedon, Bangri Rinpoches
wife was sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the same charges. On 29
May 2001, both were shifted to Drapchi Prison in the north of Lhasa City
and were incarcerated in solitary confinement for more than a year. They
were later shifted to prison unit no. 5 meant for prisoners with political
charges.
In 2003 Bangri Rinpoches death sentence with 2 years suspension was
commuted to life imprisonment. Nima Choedon is due for release in year
2008.
Bangri Rinpoche's arrest was followed by arrest of Dechen Choezom, sister
of Rinpoche on the night of 29 August, 1999 by the Lhasa Public Security
Bureau (PSB) officials. She was taken for questioning and detained for
nine days before being released.
Rinpoches arrest came on charges of his alleged connection with Tashi
Tsering who was implicated for attempting to explode a bomb in the Potala
Square during the National Minority Games in Lhasa in August 1999.
Although TCHRD was aware of Tashi Tsering's mysterious death in the Gutsa
Detention Centre, this time the Centre received confirmation of his death
by suicide on 8 February 2000. Tashi Tsering, unable to bear continued
interrogation through severe torture had committed suicide by slitting his
throat with the help of razor blade.
As per TCHRD source, at least 23 people were arrested in connection with
Bangri Rinpoches case. 12 of them were sentenced to imprisonment with
varying terms. (list of arrestees below)
Name, Sex, Charges, Sentence
Bangri Rinpoche, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, Death
Sentence
Nima Choedon, Female, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 10 years
imprisonment
Tashi Tsering, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, Committed
suicide
Lhakdon, Female, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 2 years
Choedon, Female, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 2 years
imprisonment
Geleg Nima, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 3 yrs Reform
through Labor
Dechen Choezom, Female, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 3 years
imprisonment
Toho, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 2 years imprisonment
Gadhe Kyap, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 1 years
imprisonment
Shelok, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 2 years imprisonment
Karma Yeshi, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 3 yrs Reform
through Labor
Thupten Dargyal, Male, Espionage & Endangering State Security, 3 yrs
Reform through Labor
**Except Bangri Rinpoche and Nima Choedon, all were released after
completing their sentence
Three more close relatives of Bangri Rinpoche were detained at Sangyip
Detention Center before being shifted to Gutsa Detention Center. As per
information all of the arrestees were subjected to series of
interrogations on their connections with Rinpoche and many more were
tortured while in detention.
The events of the arrests of Bangri Rinpoche were followed by the
authorities' closure of Gyatso Orphanage on 17 October 1999. The Orphanage
was a children's home built by Rinpoche. At the time of its closure there
were 59 destitute children between the age of 2 months infant to 12 years.
It has also come to light that due to innumerable torture in prison, at
present Bangri Rinpoche is not in a position to move his upper part of the
body and lost much of his body weight. In addition Rinpoche had developed
ulcer and jaundice while in prison and his health condition is known to
have deteriorated considerably.
The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy is horrified at the news
of the death sentence on Bangri Rinpoche. The Centre expresses grave
concern over Chinas use of the death penalty, more so over the kind of
charges for which it is used. Amnesty International calling for a
moratorium on the death penalty in China quoted that Chinas justice system
is no condition to offer fair trials. The fact that TCHRD received this
news so late also indicates the tight control on the freedom of
information flow.
Background information on Bangri Rinpoche.
Jigme Tenzin Nima (a.k.a Bangri Rinpoche) was born in Nangchen County,
Kyegudo Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province. He was recognized
as the reincarnation of Bangri Rinpoche of Nangchen Bangri Monastery.
Bangri Rinpoche was very concerned about children especially orphans who
could not receive education although they had reached their schooling age.
Rinpoche's concern and generosity led him to establish an orphanage school
through his own expenses and generous donations. The orphanage was founded
in Gyatso Township near the Norbulingka Palace and was named as Gyatso
orphanage.
In May 1996, 40 orphans from various parts of Tibet were admitted into the
orphanage. Rinpoche took the overall responsibility to look after the
orphanage. His wife Nyima Choedon, assisted him in administration works.
The orphans were given education in Tibetan language, Chinese language,
English language and mathematics.
Until the arrest of Bangri Rinpoche and Nima Choedon in August 1999, the
Gyatso Orphanage catered to the needs of orphans and street children who
had no one to depend on.
(source: Phayul)
*************************
Death sentences meted out to gangsters
3 death sentences were doled out yesterday in the biggest Beijing gangland
murder and robbery case of the year.
The 17-person gang, involved in the killings of 4 people and behind
robberies of more than 1.4 million yuan (US$170,000) from 2002 to 2003 in
Beijing and North China's Hebei Province, faced justice in Beijing's No 1
Intermediate People's Court.
The principal offenders, Hou Shihao, Wang Haiwen and Hu Yongliang, all
received death sentences.
Hou, 28, was released in 1998 upon completion of imprisonment of 6 years
and 6 months for robbery and rape.
33-year-old Wang was once sentenced to 2 years for theft and was set free
in 1993.
Hu, 22, was once sentenced to 2 years on a theft charge.
Another 2 members were sentenced to death, although a 2-year reprieve was
granted.
The other 11 were sentenced to imprisonment terms ranging from 20 years to
a year and 8 months.
1 member was sentenced to a year in jail with a 2-year reprieve.
Arrested from May to July of last year, the gang members are from North
China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hebei Province, Northeast
China's Heilongjiang Province and East China's Shandong Province,
according to court officials.
Most of the victims were drivers of illegal taxis in Beijing, according to
the court.
The gang members victimized the taxi drivers, forcing them to drive to
out-of-the-way areas where they could rob them.
The gang murdered the drivers if they refused to give up their money or
their cars, officials said.
During the period from January 2002 to May 2003, the gang committed 36
robberies in Beijing and North China's Hebei Province.
(source: China Daily)
