MADRID -THREE TIBETAN monks gave evidence in Spain's national court yesterday as part of an investigation into alleged genocide by Chinese communist troops in Tibet.
The monks met an investigative magistrate studying a lawsuit filed by the Madrid-based Committee to Support Tibet.
The group alleges that more than one million Tibetans have been killed or have disappeared since Tibet was occupied by China in 1951.
"We had thought for a long time that the suffering in Tibet was forgotten in the world because we followed a non-violent approach," said monk Palden Gyatso (77).
He said he spent 33 years in jail, often enduring torture.
"These days, there is new hope," he said.
He and two other monks, Jampel Monlam and Bhagdro, appeared visibly moved as they carried Tibetan flags and photographs of alleged human rights abuses into the Spanish court.
No decision was expected yesterday on whether Spain would file formal charges.
The lawsuit was filed against several former Chinese officials under a Spanish law allowing prosecution of human rights crimes committed in another country.
"Tibet is like a pressure cooker, and the best way to defuse the situation is by legal means, by having injustices recognised," said lawyer Alan Cantos. - (AP)