Chinese security forces brutally beat and even shot dead some protesters during unrest in Tibet in 2008,and tortured many in the subsequent crackdown,Human Rights Watch said in a report today. The New York-based organisation said it had based its findings on interviews with more than 200 Tibetan refugees and other witnesses between March 2008 and April 2010,as well as official information. Dozens of eyewitness testimonies and the governments own sources show clearly the official willingness to use lethal force against unarmed protesters, said Sophie Richardson,the groups Asia advocacy director. This report decisively refutes the Chinese governments claim that it handled the protests in line with international standards and domestic laws, she said,calling for a Chinese and international probe. Chinas government did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment. The unrest began on March 10,2008 with a string of peaceful protests marking the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that forced the Dalai Lama,Tibets spiritual leader,to flee into exile. The demonstrations in Tibets capital Lhasa later descended into violence and spread to neighbouring areas with significant Tibetan populations. China - which insists it adhered to international practices when dealing with the protests - says 21 people were killed by rioters during the turmoil. Exiled groups,for their part,say more than 200 Tibetans died - most of them at the hands of Chinese security forces. I can tell you as a responsible official that guns were absolutely not fired, Qiangba Puncog,Tibets governor at the time,said three days after the Lhasa violence. But according to the HRW report,witnesses say lethal force was used to disperse demonstrators on March 14 on several occasions,although restraint was used at other times. When the soldiers showed up,they threw tear gas. Then there was indiscriminate shooting and we saw two people shot dead in front of us, one Tibetan protester told HRW. One died in the doorway of the Mentsikhang (outpatient department of the Tibetan hospital). That day the hospitals had been ordered not to help anyone. Other witnesses told stories of fatal shootings - including at least one innocent bystander who was killed - in Lhasa and in surrounding Tibetan areas.
