CHINA. TIBETAN MAN EXECUTED

October 8, 2007: according to reports received by ICT, a Tibetan named Kunjam was executed on or around September 14 in Lithang, a county southwest of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province of China.
Kunjam had initially been detained in 2003, because of his involvement in a fight with two Chinese men over an issue of land according to one report from a Tibetan source.
The two Chinese men were apparently investigating the possibility of mineral extraction at a local mountain that is regarded by Tibetans as a holy site. Although the full circumstances are not known, it appears that one of the Chinese men was killed and Kunjam was linked to the death and imprisoned. It is not known if he was initially sentenced to death. But reports received by ICT indicate that his execution was hasty and unexpected, and may have been linked to the authorities’ hardline approach towards political dissent in his local area through August and September. (Sources: savetibet.org, 08/10/2007)