China Sentences A Chinese Pop Star And A Tibetan Singer

Zang has written some of the most recognisable songs from Chinese films including “Friends", and in 2003 he was voted the most popular mainland singer/songwriter at the 9th Chinese Music Awards.

The Court rejected the singer’s appeal which challenged the verdict of the Beijing Municipal No. 2 Intermediate People's Court in November.

The Higher Court heard how the fight was connected to a business dispute between Zang, 45, and his partner Sun Baohe over ownership of a disco bar in Langfang city near Beijing. Afterward, two gangs belonging to Zang and Sun clashed at Langfang railway station resulting in the death of one person and injuries to three others.

The verdict follows the conviction of Tibetan singer Tashi Dhondup, who was given a one year and six month prison sentence by a court in Mongol (Tib: Sogpo) of Malho Tibet Autonomous Prefecture, for producing an album containing “subversive songs”.

Tashi’s album "Torture without Trace" was banned in November last year. Tibetan activists claim the album has 13 songs which express nostalgia for His Holiness the Dalai Lama and concern the government crackdown in Lhasa in March 2008. The 5,000 CDs produced sold out within a month of the October release in Amdo region of eastern Tibet, where Tashi is a local star. The arrest warrant was issued by authorities in the central Henan province, where Tashi was a member of the Henan Mongolian Autonomous Region Arts Troupe.

Tashi had previously caused a stir in 2008 with the release of has an album, "The Year of 1959", referring to the year the Dalai Lama left for India. He was arrested in September of 2008 for producing music with 'counter-revolutionary content', according to the activist organization, International Campaign for Tibet.

Tashi has remained in detention since his arrest at a restaurant on the 3rd of December last year.