To voice against recent tra
gic case of late self-immolator Kunchok Wangmo’s husband Dolma Kyab, TWA wrote appeal letter addressed to the UNHRC’s high commissioner Navanethem Pillay, UNICEF, the International court of Justice and Executive Director of UN human right Section for women Ms. Michelle Bachelet.
The appeal letter says:
On 13th March 2013, a Tibetan woman named Kunchok Wangmo set herself on fire and soon passed away in her fiery protest. The day also marked the eve of Xi Jingping’s formal selection as the new President of China.
Kunchok Wangmo is from Dzoege region of Ngaba, eastern Tibet. She is a married woman in her 30s, her husband’s name is Dolma Kyab and they have an eight year-old daughter. According to the sources, Chinese authorities took possession of Kunchok Wangmo’s body and carried out the cremation without a permission of her family members. They later handed over the remains.
So far, 121 Tibetans inside Tibet have self-immolated. Kunchok Wangmo become the 15th Tibetan Woman and 109th Tibetan to set on fire to protest against hardcore policies of China and demand for the return of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and freedom for Tibetan people.
Kunchok Wangmo’s husband Dolma Kyab was arrested on 14th March, 2013 for refusing to accept his wife’s death was due to their family feuds. He bravely told that he will take this injustice to the higher court of Sichuan province. However, it is apparent that he hasn’t received the justice and on 15th August, 2013, the intermediate court in Ngaba region has announced to sentence him to death.
The intermediate court in Ngaba region stated that Dolma Kyab murdered his wife Kunchok Wangmo. The state-controlled media Global Times reported that Dolma Kyab strangled his wife to death and burned her body after an argument over Kyab’s drinking problem. In reality, there isn’t such argument between them; a Chinese official media quoted Kyab’s lawyer Su Haijun as saying that Kunchok Wangmo’s parents would not believe that their son-in-law killed their daughter as the couple “were generally on good terms with each other.” 
Now the eight year-old daughter of Dolma Kyab and Kunchok Wangmo became an orphan, who lost her parents under the injustice or the ruthless rule of Chinese authority in Tibet. This eight year-old girl is not only a child who became orphan due to the callous rule of People’s Republic of China in Tibet; there are hundreds and hundreds of children who lost their parents under similar circumstances. We earnestly urge UNICEF to defend these children by investigating the cause and pressuring Chinese government to stop the human rights violation.
It is unbearable fact that China continues to plot the family members, friends and relatives of self-immolators as a murderer or inciter and the world remains silent. It is high time that the International court of Justice handles the cases of these innocent Tibetans and make world believe that there is a court for all the defenseless people, which gives fair trials, judgement and enhances the confidence of the public in truth and justice.
The death penalty clearly violates fundamental rights of an individual; therefore Tibetan Women’s Association strongly condemns the death penalty. We seek immediate and urgent intervention from the UNHRC’s high commissioner the honorable Navanethem Pillay and we appeal that the fundamental human rights of every Tibetan inside Tibet be valued and protected.
Yours sincerely,
Tashi Dolma
President, Central Tibetan Women’s Association