China says protected rights of jailed Tibetan monk who died

BEIJING (Reuters) - China protected the rights of a Tibetan monk who died in prison, the country's foreign ministry said, responding to claims by the monk's niece that he was tortured. Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, 65, had been serving a life sentence for "crimes of terror and incitement of separatism" when his family was told on July 12, 2015, that he had died of a heart attack in prison in China's southwestern city of Chengdu. His 26-year-old niece fled to India, where she has questioned the official version of events and is appealing for justice for her uncle. "China is a country ruled by law, during Tenzin Delek Rinponche's sentence his legal rights were protected according to relevant laws," the foreign ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters late on Saturday. The foreign ministry repeated that he died suddenly of heart related problems and that hospital rescue efforts were ineffective. Tenzin Delek was a senior supporter of the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet who fled to India after a failed uprising in 1959. China views him as a dangerous separatist. Activists say China has violently tried to suppress religious freedom in Tibet, criticism that Beijing rejects, saying its rule ended serfdom and brought economic development to a backward region. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Jake Spring; Editing by Kim Coghill)