Karma Samdrup, a prominent Tibetan business man, has received the maximum 15 year sentence from a court in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) on charges of looting cultural artifacts. In addition to 15 years, Samdrup’s lawyer Pu Zhiqiang stated that he also received five years’ deprivation of his political rights and a 10,000 Yuan (1,500 US) fine.  Karma Samdrup immediately denied the charges and has 10 days to appeal according to Pu. Throughout the trial and even after the verdict was read, Karma Samdrup’s wife, Dolkar Tso, was not allowed to speak or meet with her husband. (Read more after the jump)

Pu expressed his displeasure that he and his team had not been allowed to gather enough evidence to refute the charges nor given enough time to go over the court’s documents. He also reported being constantly harassed while meeting with Karma. Both Karma’s lawyer and his wife believe that his alleged confession of guilt was coerced through torture, since while in prison Karma lost over 20 kilos (40 pounds) and while at the trial had physical signs of being drugged and beaten shortly beforehand. Many in Tibet see this resurrection of charges against one of the regions most respected individuals and someone who is thought to hold the largest private collection of Tibetan artifacts in the world as a sign of increasing suppression by the Chinese government on Tibetan culture. This theory appears to have some support given the increasing number of crackdowns in the region, especially around anniversaries of violence committed by Chinese troops.