A Sichuan court sentenced 32-year-old Drolma Gya to death and deprivation of political rights on Thursday after convicting him of murdering his wife Kunchok Wangmo and disguising her death as a self-immolation. From Xinhua:
Drolma Gya had promised to quit drinking but was caught drinking by his wife that night, according to the court.
His wife pretended to strangle herself with a scarf during an ensuing argument, at which point Drolmya Gya grabbed the scarf and told her “if you have suffered this much, I will help you to end it” before strangling her to death, according to the court.
He then took the body outside, doused it with gasoline and set it alight at 2 a.m. the following morning, the court said.
[…] He said he did not expect such severe consequences for burning his wife’s body, adding that he acted due to a sudden impulse and had immediate regrets.
This is not the only reported case to have been challenged by Chinese authorities. In June, China Daily reported that a monk had opportunistically disguised a jilted man’s suicide as a self-immolation. Other incidents have been attributed to “enticement” by the Dalai Lama to make up for “wrongdoings such as whoring, gambling and burglary.” Tibet activists argue that such claims are attempts to discredit and delegitimize the protests and the grievances behind them.
