42 sentenced over Lhasa riots

By Yang Lifei  |   2008-7-11  |     ONLINE EDITION

FORTY-TWO people have been sentenced for their roles in the Lhasa riot in Tibet on March 14, Xinhuanet.com reported.

The 42 people were convicted of either arson, robbery, gathering to assault state property or disturbing social order, said Palma Trily, executive vice chairman of Tibet, at a press conference for a delegation of journalists from India and Italy.

Another 116 people are in custody awaiting trial, he told Xinhuanet.

On April 29, the Intermediate People's Court in Lhasa sentenced 30 people to jail terms ranging from three years to life. On June 19 and 20, another 12 people were sentenced for their roles in the riot, the report said.

Tibet police detained and arrested a total of 953 people after the riot and another 362 surrendered. Another 1,157 people were released after they were charged with minor offences.

Trily told Xinhuanet that judicial authorities followed the policy of combining punishment with leniency in cases involving minor offences.

On June 21, a delegation of foreign journalists arrived in Lhasa to report on the Olympic torch relay. The group included staff from 29 overseas news organizations, including the BBC, Reuters, AP and AFP. The Olympic flame was carried through Lhasa in a joyful and peaceful proceeding that morning, the report said.

Four days later, Tibet lifted the temporary three-month ban on foreign tourists due to the riot, the report said.