PARIS (AFP) -
US Internet giant Yahoo! denied Saturday posting on its websites pictures of 19 people wanted by the Chinese authorities for protesting in the Tibetan capital Lhasa.
"Contrary to media reports, Yahoo! Inc. is not displaying images on its web sites of individuals wanted by Chinese authorities in connection with the recent unrest in Tibet," it said in a statement sent to AFP in Paris.
"We are looking into this matter with Alibaba Group, the company that controls ChinaYahoo!," the company said.
China on Friday released a list and photos of what it called the 19 most-wanted Lhasa rioters as it vowed to punish those responsible for last week's violence in the Tibetan capital.
The photos, which appeared on top websites in China, were taken from grainy footage shot during the unrest which exploded through the city on March 14.
The state-controlled Tibet Daily later said two of the 19 alleged perpetrators had already been taken into custody. It also provided a hotline number for information from the public on those still at large.
Chinese police and armed forces have clamped down firmly on the unrest, which spilled into Tibetan-populated neighbouring provinces, amid warnings by overseas activist groups of harsh reprisals, including torture, against protesters.
Tibetan groups say the unrest was sparked when Lhasa police used tear gas to break up protests led by Buddhist monks last week to mark the anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule.
But China has insisted the violence was orchestrated by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, a figure beloved in Tibet but reviled in Beijing as a separatist.
The Dalai Lama has denied any involvement and has repeatedly said he is not seeking independence for his homeland.
China maintains that only 13 people have died in the unrest, all "innocent civilians" killed by rioters. It denies security forces killed any protesters.
However Tibet's government-in-exile has put the "confirmed" death toll from a week of unrest across the Himalayan region and neighbouring provinces at 99, while the exiled Tibetan parliament in India has said "hundreds" may have died.
"Yahoo! deplores the use of the Internet to suppress freedom of expression," the statement said.
"We are a company founded on the principle that promoting access to information can fundamentally improve people's lives and enhance their relationship with the world around them."
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