China 'frees Tibetan protesters'


Lhasa is gearing up for the Olympic torch relay


China has released more than 1000 people involved in unrest in Tibet earlier this year Chinese media say.
The official Xinhua news agency quoted a senior official saying those freed had been held for minor offences connected with the unrest in March.
The announcement came one day before the Olympic torch relay reaches the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
In March Buddhist monks led anti-Beijing rallies in Lhasa which grew into widespread unrest among Tibetans.
China says rioters killed at least 19 people in the unrest but Tibetan exiles say security forces killed dozens of people.
The announcement on the detainees came a day after rights group Amnesty International called for Beijing to account for those who were still in jail after the unrest.
Xinhua quoted Palma Trily vice-governor of the Beijing-backed Tibetan government as saying 1157 had been freed.
It was not clear whether the figure referred to the total number of detainees freed since March or a newly-released group of prisoners.
He also said 12 people had been sentenced for crimes related to the unrest but did not specify the offences or the punishments.
The Xinhua report said a total of 42 people had now been punished over the March protests.
Unrest in Tibetan communities began in Lhasa on 10 March before snowballing into the most widespread protests in 20 years.
After several days of unrest and rioting Chinese security forces wrested back control of the area.
But pro-Tibetan protesters threw China's global Olympic torch relay into disarray as it passed through several cities including London Paris and San Francisco. The Olympic torch reaches Lhasa on Saturday on the latest leg of its tour around China. Chinese security forces have been patrolling in the main square of Lhasa in the run-up to the torch's arrival.