Beijing - Two Tibetans have been sentenced to death by a Chinese court for starting fatal fires during riots in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa last year.

Two others were given death sentences with a two-year reprieve, and another faces life imprisonment, according to an spokesman with the Lhasa Municipal Intermediate People's Court, quoted by the official Xinhua news agency.

Losang Gyaltse received the death penalty for setting fire to two garment shops in downtown Lhasa that killed a shop owner, Xinhua said.

In a separate case, a person by the name of Loyar was sentenced to death for torching a motorcycle dealership in Deqen Township in Lhasa's Dagze County, resulting in the deaths of five people.

Two others, Gangtsu and Dawa Sangpo, were sentenced in the motorcycle dealership case, receiving a death sentence with a two-year reprieve and life imprisonment respectively.

The Xinhua article mentioned a third case where a person by the name of Tenzin Phuntsog was sentenced to death with a two-year reprieve for setting fire to a garment shop, causing one fatality.

Another arson case is currently before the courts over the deaths of five civilians and the burning of a shop, the article said.

Violence erupted on March 14 last year in the Tibetan capital following anti-China protests by Buddhist monks.

According to Chinese officials, 19 people died in the riots but Tibetan exile groups say more than 100 died.

According to official reports, as of the beginning of March, 76 people have been sentenced to prison for involvement in the violence. (dpa)