Respected Tibetan lama tortured into confessing weapons charge in Tibet

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By GILLIAN WONG

BEIJING — A respected Tibetan lama went on trial on weapons charges Tuesday as three people were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for deadly arson attacks during last year's rioting in the Tibetan capital.

Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche, who headed a convent in Ganzi, a predominantly Tibetan prefecture in Sichuan province, is accused of illegally possessing weapons, his Beijing-based lawyer Li Fangping told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Li said the monk was forced into making a confession after a police interrogation that lasted four days and threats that his wife and son would be detained if he did not comply.

The 52-year-old monk could be imprisoned for up to 15 years if found guilty, Li said, adding he was the first senior Buddhist leader to face a serious charge linked to last year's demonstrations.

Rioting that broke out on March 14, 2008, led to the most sustained Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule in decades. Last year's violence in Lhasa killed 22 people, according to Chinese officials.

Prosecutors allege a pistol and more than 100 bullets and cartridges were found under a bed in Phurbu Tsering Rinpoche's living room during a police raid, but the monk has denied the allegation, saying he was framed, Li said.

"The charge is untenable," Li said. "Police didn't ask him about the source of the weapons or check for fingerprints."

The monk also pleaded not guilty to a separate charge of embezzlement involving a home for the elderly he set up, the lawyer said.

Another Chinese court sentenced three people to lengthy prison terms over deadly arson attacks during the riots in Lhasa, state media reported Tuesday.

One was given the death penalty with a two-year reprieve for helping to lead attacks on two clothing stores that killed six ...

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