China frees elderly political prisoner

ZHENGZHOU, China -- After 19 years in prison, China has freed an elderly Tibetan teacher -- a release one leading activist said was an attempt to please the United States.

Tanak Jigme Sangpo, 76, was set free Sunday from Drapchi Prison in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, said John Kamm, president of the San Francisco-based Duihua Foundation. Chinese officials said he was released on medical parole, Kamm said.

China's longest-serving political prisoner, Jigme Sangpo was arrested in September 1983 and sentenced to 15 years in prison on charges of "counterrevolutionary incitement and propaganda" for campaigning against Chinese rule in Tibet, according to Kamm.

His sentence was extended twice after that and had been due to expire on Sept. 3, 2011, when he would be in his mid-80s. Prison authorities exempted him from physical labor several years ago because of his age, Kamm said.

U.S. Rep. Tom Lantos, a critic of the Chinese government, visited Beijing in January and asked the Chinese to review Sangpo's case.

"I deeply appreciate this humanitarian gesture by the Chinese," the California Democrat said in a statement. "I urge the Chinese to make further progress in releasing political prisoners and restoring the human rights of its citizens."

Jigme Sangpo was also one of five prisoners cited by U.S. Ambassador Clark T. Randt during a Jan. 21 speech in Hong Kong. "Our goal is not that China should be just like Dorothy's Kansas, but we do insist that China abide by certain international norms," Randt said.

To Kamm, Jigme Sangpo's release smacked of diplomatic initiative. "It is clear to me ... that this is being done by China in order to improve relations with the United States," he said in an interview.