Tibetan Uprising

GuChuSum President Kusho Ngawang Woeber and March Coordinator Tsering Choedup travelled to Rebkong Piu to learn about the situation of the 31 marchers who were arrested while they attempted to cross the India border to Tibet on June 19. Permission for the visit was granted thanks to the efforts of Shimla RTYC President and Shimla Tenzin la who is also a member of the Local Assembly.

From the 31 marchers arrested, 10 who had crossed the inner line were released this morning on personal bond after a hearing before the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Rebkong Piu. Ten others were released on assurity and personal bond from Rampur. The other 11 marchers have their hearing on June 26 before the Sub Judicial Magistrate at Rebkong Piu. The Organizing Committee is working on the documents for their release.

Tenzin Choeying, National Director of Students for a Free Tibet India, Lobsang Yeshi, March Coordintor and Tenzin Tsundue, activist and award winning poet, had their 4th hearing before the Dehra Sub Divisional Magistrate regarding the ongoing case from their arrest in March. Two witnesses - a local videographer and Sub Inspector Bhagat Singh Thakur - made statements after being cross-examined by the lawyer for the three. They are being charged with ‘threatening to breach public peace and tranquility’. The statements from the cross-examination were recorded and will be used for the final judgment which has been postponed until August 27.

The defending lawyer, Mr. Jitendra Rana is a volunteer with the Human Rights Law Network which is based in Delhi. Mr Rana runs its Dharamshala chapter with his lawyer colleagues.

In total, 169 marchers have been imprisoned since the beginning of the March and all marchers, including the presidents have been arrested once or twice.