China says it prosecuted 20 political cases in Tibet in 2013 in a 'heavy blow' to separatism
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China says it prosecuted 20 cases involving national security in Tibet last year, pointing to continuing low-level unrest in the Himalayan region.
Official newspapers Monday quoted Tibet's top judge as saying the cases dealt a "heavy blow" to those seeking the region's independence. No details were given about individual cases or the number of people being prosecuted.
This year will see further high-pressure tactics against separatists, including those operating within Tibet's Buddhist religious establishment, said the judge, Lodar, who like many Tibetans uses just one name.
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Tibet and ethnically Tibetan parts of western China have been under heavy security since a wave of sometimes violent rioting and protests against Chinese rule in 2008. Communist troops occupied Tibet in 1950, although Beijing says it has been part of China for centuries.