Editor's Note: Recently, government departments in Tibet received a series of letters from foreigners asking whether there is a high incidence of cases involving the torture and beating of prisoners in Tibet's prisons and if there is a high death rate of prisoners when they are serving sentences or right after release? Officials with the U.S. Congress also raised the same questions to departments concerned in Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China.

Xinhua correspondents visited Tibet Autonomous Regional Prison,talked with many prison guards, prisoners and relatives of prisoners to find out the truth.

Xinhua is going to release a series of nine stories on the lives of prisoners in Tibet as from May 27.

No Accidental Death in Tibet's Prisons: Official Lu Bo is absolutely certain. "I've never heard of any case involving accidental death of prisoners in Tibet," said the warden of Tibet Autonomous Regional Prison, in an exclusive interview with Xinhua Monday.

But Lu added: "Fifteen prisoners in the regional prison died ofillness in the past five years."

Lu said that among the 15 prisoners who died since 1998, two were women, adding the number is very small when compared with total number of prisoners in Tibet.

Tibet now has three prisons with 2,300 inmates.

According to prison sources, the 15 dead prisoners suffered cancer, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, which are difficult to cure.

Established in 1960, Tibet Autonomous Regional Prison is located in northern suburban Lhasa, the regional capital. The prison is the only one in Tibet which holds prisoners who have committed serious crimes, and the only prison in Tibet which manages female prisoners and prisoners threatening state security.

The prison opened to both domestic and overseas visitors in 1990. ¡¡¡¡

"We treat prisoners as people," said Lu. The prison has strict measures for educating and reforming prisoners and has worked out a set of measures to evaluate the behavior of prisoners, and to award and punish prisoners according to their behavior, said Lu.

The prison authorities also mark the behavior of prisoners, according to which, commutation of a sentence is granted. Prison guards are strictly forbidden from torturing and beating prisoners,Lu said.

According to Lu, the prison has a clinic with 13 professional medical workers, especially for prisoners. Prisoners who suffer common diseases like colds, headaches and diarrhea are usually immediately treated at the prison clinic. Those who suffer seriousdiseases and can not be cured in the clinic are sent to local hospitals. The prison pays all the fees for hospitalization, medical treatment and medicines.

Each year, the regional prison spends more than 1 million yuan (more than 120,000 U.S. dollars) in this regard, Lu said.

Lu's remarks were verified by the relatives of prisoners.

Soi'nam Cering, elder brother of prisoner Da'purba, who died ofillness on March 1 this year, recalled the events of Da'purba illness.

He said: "My brother was unwell before he was imprisoned and his condition worsened six months later.

"The prison authorities sent him to the general hospital of Tibet Autonomous Regional Military Area Command, the best in Tibet,in good time," he said. His younger brother was treated in hospital for more than three months.

"My brother was taken good care of and received good medical treatment when he was in hospital," said Soi'nam Cering, adding the regional prison spent more than 70,000 yuan (about 8,400 U.S. dollars) on his brother's illness.

He said doctors told him the state of his brother's illness, medicines his brother had taken and medical treatment charges whenhe visited his brother in hospital. He said he knew that his brother had contracted tuberculosis of the kidneys.

"If the prison authorities did not send my brother to hospital in time, my brother might have died earlier," Soi'nam Cering said. ¡¡¡¡

Xinhua correspondents saw the "death notice" of Da'purba at theregional prison. The notice consists of a death report, a certificate of diagnosis, and a notice of death from illness.

The death report records personal details of Da'purba, the cause and course of his death, expert opinion given by hospital and forensic experts, opinion of the prison, investigation resultsgiven by the local people's procuratorate, how the remains of Da'purba were handled and buried, and where the remains were buried.

According to the regional prison's certificate of diagnosis, Da'purba died of tuberculosis of the lungs and kidneys, kidney failure and failure of many other organs. The certificate was signed by doctor Ye Ganglin and was officially sealed by the regional hospital.

The death notice also contains Da'purba's personal details, thecause of his death, death time and report time. The death notice was written by head nurse Ju Zhongming and was signed by Ju in person.

Xinhua reporters also saw the death notices for 14 other prisoners, who died of serious illness.