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Kathmanda: Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the release of three senior Tibetan refugee officials recently arrested in Kathmandu and accused of involvement in 'anti-China activities'.
"The court said their detention was illegal," said Til Prasad Shrestha, a Supreme Court spokesperson.
Ngawang Sangmo and Tashi Dolma, senior officials of the regional Tibetan Women's Association, and Kelsang Chung, the director of the Tibetan Refugee Reception Centre in Kathmandu were arrested last month and charged with "anti-China activities".
A number of Western governments, including that of the US, had demanded their release, saying none of the three had participated in violent actions.
Nepal, one of the world's poorest countries, considers Tibet part of China, an important aid donor and trade partner. About 20,000 Tibetan exiles now live in Nepal. Some of the refugees have been organising regular protests in Kathmandu against the Chinese crackdown on protests in their homeland.
Officials at the Tibetan Refugee Reception Centre and the Tibetan Women's Association could not be reached for comment.
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