Dear friend,

It is with great sadness that we are writing to let you know Tibetan rights groups confirmed this morning that three Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen, Loyak, and Penkyi were executed on October 20th, 2009 in Lhasa. There is a report that a fourth Tibetan may also have been executed. Read SFT's press statment.  

This is the first known execution of a Tibetan since 2003, demonstrating the lengths to which the Chinese government is now prepared to go in order to intimidate Tibetans and crush all perceived opposition to its occupation of Tibet.

Please join people worldwide in voicing outrage at this travesty of justice. Send the letter below to your Members of Congress urging the U.S. government to immediately condemn these executions in the strongest possible terms. 

Please, we urge you to also call your congressional representatives and let them know how serious this matter is and that you expect the Obama administration to take immediate action and condemn these killings. More ways to take action will be posted shortly on SFT's website.

Our sincere thanks go out to the more than 1,450 people on this list who sent letters to Secretary Clinton yesterday in reponse to the initial reports about the executions.  

Our collective actions will make a difference to the people inside Tibet.

Sincerely,
Lhadon, Tendor, Schuyler, Chand, Stefanie, Sonam, Kate, and all of us here at SFT HQ

Subject: Please take action to condemn China's execution of Tibetans.

Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],

I am outraged to learn that the Chinese government has executed two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak for their alleged involvement in the March 2008 protests. The executions took place in Lhasa, Tibet's capital, on October 20th, 2009. There are reports that two more Tibetans may have been executed on the same day, including a woman named Penkyi.

These executions of Tibetans, the first known since 2003, signal an alarming escalation in the Chinese government's violent campaign to punish, intimidate, and silence any Tibetan who dares to speak out against China's occupation.

Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak were originally sentenced to death on April 8, 2009, prompting an international campaign to stop China from carrying out their executions. The identity of the other two Tibetans is unclear, but some believe that Penkyi could be a Tibetan woman in her early twenties who was given a suspended death sentence in April 2009.

These individuals were denied their basic legal rights, and their trials were not conducted in accordance with international judicial standards. A report released by Human Rights Watch in March 2009 revealed that China's judicial system is "so highly politicised as to preclude any possibility for a fair trial for Tibetans."

I urge you to press President Obama and Secretary Clinton to immediately condemn the executions of Lobsang Gyatlsen and Loyak in the strongest possible terms. I also urge the American Embassy to immediately inquire into the reports that two other Tibetans were executed.

I further ask you to urge President Obama to go beyond standard statements of support for Tibet and to take bold and concrete action to help bring about a just and lasting resolution for the Tibetan people.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]