HispanicBusiness

China convicted two Tibetans of inciting self-immolation protests against the government on Thursday, handing one a suspended death sentence and jailing the other for 10 years.

The pair had "incited and coerced eight people to self-immolate, resulting in three deaths," state media quoted a court in Aba prefecture, in the south-western province of Sichuan, as saying.

The court gave Lorang Konchok, 40, a suspended death sentence, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Suspended death sentences are normally commuted to sentences of up to 25 years or life in prison, subject to good behaviour in prison for two years.

Lorang Tsering, 31, a nephew of Lorang Kongchok, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, the agency said.

About 100 Tibetans have set fire to themselves in China since 2009 to protest Chinese government policies and call for greater religious, political and cultural autonomy.

The government announced a campaign last month to prosecute Tibetans who assisted self-immolation protestors, many of whom are Buddhist monks.