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BEIJING - CHINESE authorities jailed 17 people for between three years and life for their role in last month's Tibetan unrest, state press reported.
The 17 were involved in violence on March 14 in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, the Xinhua news agency said, announcing the first verdicts for anyone connected with the unrest that has embarrassed and angered China ahead of the Olympics.
A court in Lhasa handed down the verdicts on Tuesday, Xinhua said, giving few other immediate details.
When contacted to confirm the report, an official at the Lhasa court said the verdicts would be announced later on Tuesday.
Protests that began on March 10 in Lhasa to mark the anniversary of a 1959 uprising against China's rule of Tibet escalated into widespread violence across the city on March 14.
Chinese authorities said 'rioters' killed 18 innocent civilians and one policeman in Lhasa on March 14, while another police officer was killed when protests spread to other parts of China with Tibetan populations.
China has insisted it acted with restraint in quelling the unrest.
But exiled Tibetan leaders say more than 150 people have died in the Chinese crackdown on the demonstrations.
It is unclear how many people are facing prosecution across China for their roles in the unrest.
Exiled Tibetan groups said previously that over 2,000 people had been arrested in connection with the unrest.
China had earlier announced the arrests of more than 400 people in Lhasa alone. -- AFP
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