in English below
22 March 2013
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TIBET SUPPORT COMMITTEE (CAT)
Hu Jintao denounced for the commission of international crimes committed in Tibet after the withdrawal of his impunity
Yesterday, less than a week after leaving office and withdrawing his immunity, the CAT, together with the House of Tibet Foundation and the private prosecution of Thubten Wangchen, has just been presented before the Investigative Court No.º2 from the National Court a writing expanding the initial complaint.
The former President of China is accused, Hu Jintao, who left office on 15 March 2013, as the alleged perpetrator of the commission of the crimes of genocide and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions against the Tibetan people, that are investigated in this court. Even though he has conclusive evidence of his direct responsibility in the case, until today it was omitted to include him in the list of defendants, given his immunity status.
The document presented is based on evidence, expert reports and witness statements previously presented before Courts No.º2 and nº1 of the National Court (AN) y en la querella original por genocidio. Among the evidence, the latest two expert reports prepared by the International Campaign for Tibet and the Human Rights Law Foundation stand out.. Precisely the international expert Kate Saunders, upon ratifying last December 2012 the aforementioned report before the judge, expounded and expanded the description of the chain of command that governed the People's Republic of China. Furthermore, in his statement he expressly referred to Hu Jintao as directly responsible for the repressions in Tibet.
It must be remembered, as reported in the letter, that Hu Jintao held the relevant position of Secretary of the CPC Committee of the Tibet Autonomous Region since 1988 a 1992. During those years in office, supervised and gave orders, as the highest leader of Tibet, to violently repress the Tibetan population. It's more, This criminal work was recognized and applauded by Party leaders at a meeting of the Politburo Standing Committee held in October 1989, when the imposition of martial law in Tibet displayed its most repressive effects.
Likewise Hu Jintao, as denounced in the ICT report presented before the Spanish judge, was part of the core of senior Chinese officials who met in Beijing in July 1994 at the Third Tibet Work Forum to develop policies for rapid economic development in Tibet while attempting to undermine loyalty to the Dalai Lama; and participated as president in July 2001 at the Fourth Work Forum where similar policies were consolidated under the imperative of “strongly adapting Tibetan Buddhism to socialism”.
Furthermore, this accusation is also based on statements of other witnesses before the Central Court of Instruction No.. 1 he 22 April 2009; case that was archived due to lack of national connection and absence of Spanish victims – Both reasons are very controversial given the universality of the law and border on unconstitutionality. – and whose appeal is still pending to be resolved by the Constitutional Court.
This complaint is a promise from the CAT team in coherence to the victims who have participated in the legal process as witnesses and with many Tibetans who have followed him and asked us why we had not accused him before what was obvious to those who suffered the unspeakable during his mandate..
CAT Conclusions:
The CAT has always acted in these cases based on basic principles and according to the precepts of International Law, Our only motivation being the victims and their families and the hope of the truth, la responsabilidad y el "nunca más". We are aware of the clichés about the slowness or effectiveness of Universal Jurisdiction, whether these cases are merely symbolic or the murmur about what is the true measure of success in these highly politicized disputes?. It's all background noise to us.. The only measure of success is to do our best to ensure that truth and criminal accountability prevail over these crimes and to steer clear of the shifting winds of political expediency.. The rest is out of our hands. Therefore all classical distortions, Political and economic topics and speculations are part of our environment but not part of our work.. We believe that doing nothing is the only measure of failure.
END OF PRESS RELEASE
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PRESS RELEASE BY THE TIBET SUPPORT COMMITTEE (CAT)
22 March 2013
HU JINTAO DENOUNCED FOR INTERNATIONAL CRIMES IN TIBET AFTER LOSING IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION
Yesterday morning 21st March, less than a week after Hu Jintao stepped down as China's leader and lost his immunity from prosecution, the CAT, the Tibet House Foundation and the private accusation of Thubten Wangchen, lodged an extension to the initial lawsuit at the Audiencia Nacional’s nº 2 court.
The now former President of China, Hu Jintao, who left office on 15th March 2013, is accused of committing the crimes of genocide and serious violations of the Geneva Conventions against the Tibetan people that are being tried by this court. Despite conclusive proof of his direct responsibility in the case, he was not included in the list of accused until yesterday because of his immunity.
The document lodged is based on documented evidence, expert reports and depositions already presented to the Audiencia Nacional’s nº1 and nº2 courts and on the original lawsuit for genocide. Of particular importance are the two most recent expert reports by the International Campaign for Tibet and the Human Rights Law foundation. The international expert Kate Saunders, when ratifying the above mentioned report before the judge in December 2012, specifically put forward and extended the description of the chain of command that existed in the People’s Republic of China. In her deposition she also referred specifically to Hu Jintao as being directly responsible for the repression in Tibet.
Hu Jintao held the important post of Party Secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region from 1988 to 1992. During his years in that post he supervised and gave orders, to violently repress the Tibetan people. What is more, these criminal acts were recognised and applauded by Party leaders at a meeting of the Politburós Standing Committee in October 1989 at a time when martial law in Tibet was having its most repressive results.
Similarly, Hu Jintao, as was denounced in ICT’s report presented to the Spanish court, formed part of the core of top Chinese leaders who met in Beijing in July 1994 at the Third Work Forum on Tibet to draw up the policies aimed at rapid economic development in Tibet whilst trying to undermine loyalty to the Dalai Lama; and he took part as president in July 2001 in the Fourth Work Forum on Tibet, where similar policies were consolidated under the imperative of “vigorously adapting Tibetan Buddhism to socialism”.
This accusation is also based on declarations by other witnesses at the Spanish central court nº 1 on 22 April 2009; a case that was shelved due to a lack of national connection and absence of Spanish victims – two highly controversial reasons bordering on inconstitutional given the Universal nature of the law – and whose appeal is still pending resolution by the Constitutional Court.
This denouncement is a solemn promise that the CAT’s team made to the victims who took part in the legal process as witnesses and to the many Tibetans who have followed the process and who have asked us why we had not accused him before for what was obvious to those who suffered indescribably during Hu Jintao´s mandate.
CAT’s concluding remarks:
The CAT has always acted on these legal cases according to basic principles, the precepts of international law and motivated only by the victims and the hope of truth, accountability and "never again" on behalf of Tibetan victims. We are well aware of the permanent clichés of whether international law is slow or ineffective or not, that money is all that matters, that these cases are merely symbolic and the rumble of what is the measure of success in these highly politised cases. All that is background noise to us. The only measure of success is doing your best to seek truth and accountability and staying away from the changing winds of political convenience. The rest is out of our hands. Thus, all the classic distortions, clichés or speculations of a political and economic nature are part of our surroundings but not part of our job. We believe that not doing anything is the only measure of failure.
END ON THE PRESS RELEASE
