On April 8th, China sentenced two Tibetans, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak, to death for their alleged involvement in last year's protests in Lhasa. Two others, Phuntsok and Kangtsuk, were also sentenced to death but with a two year reprieve, and Dawa Sangpo was sentenced to life imprisonment.

These harsh sentences signal an alarming escalation in the Chinese government's campaign to punish and intimidate Tibetans who dare to speak out against Chinese rule.

If you agree that such punishments are harsh and unjustified please take action. Below is the text of an email I sent to China's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yang Jiechi, and its Minister of Justice, Wu Aiying.

To send a similar letter please visit this web page and fill out the form, editing the letter to suit your own feelings.

I am outraged to learn that the Chinese government has sentenced four Tibetans to death and one Tibetan to life imprisonment. While China has the right to determine its own policy I hope the government understands that these decisions are widely seen as repressive and reactionary.

I understand that Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak have been sentenced to death without a reprieve, and I call for an immediate stay of execution and an independent inquiry into their cases.

I am gravely concerned for Tenzin Phuntsok and Kangtsuk who have also been sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve, and for Dawa Sangpo who has been sentenced to life imprisonment.

These individuals were denied their basic legal rights, and the trials were not conducted in accordance with international judicial standards. As the most populous nation on Earth I would have hoped that China could set a better example for other, less civilized, countries.

The Chinese government has responded to last year's protests with extreme violence, and these harsh sentences are a blatant attempt to further intimidate Tibetans from speaking out against Chinese rule.

I call on the Chinese government to immediately halt these executions and reverse these unjust sentences.

I will be notifying my government representatives about this situation, and I will urge them to take strong action to condemn this travesty of justice. Please consider seriously this call to revise the unjust punishments meted out to the above-named individuals.

China has the potential to be the greatest nation in the world, but at present the forces of repression appear to be actively supporting an approach that will drag the country back towards the middle ages.