"Now it's Tashi Phuntsog who needs help. He needs immediate competent medical attention, either in a hospital or at home." said Adams. "Here is a man who dedicated much of his life to preserving the culture and physical environment of Tibetan areas, and he was physically broken while being held by Chinese authorities. The Chinese government should do all it can to make restitution to him for his suffering."

Only one other person associated with the Tenzin Delek case remains in prison. Lobsang Taphel, a local businessman, has served one and a half years of his five-year term. The official charges against him are still unknown. Chinese authorities briefly detained at least 60 other associates of Tenzin Delek for questioning. Three monks received administrative sentences of one year in "re-education through labor" camps. An elderly village head sentenced to a five-year prison term was released after serving 13 months. At the time of his release, he could barely walk and he had trouble seeing and eating. Two other associates of Tenzin Delek were reportedly severely beaten while detained for questioning, and one of them sustained kidney problems that kept him bedridden for six months.

The two-year suspension of Tenzin Delek's death sentence expires on January 26. On December 30, China's official news agency Xinhua reported that the chief warden at Chuangdong Prison said that Tenzin Delek, as an inmate, had followed prison rules and committed no further crimes. Chinese law provides that in such cases, the death sentence usually is commuted to life imprisonment.

Source: Reuters