Palden Gyatso on Hunger Strike at Turin Olympics

Palden Gyatso, Tibet’s second longest-serving political prisoner, and two young Tibetan men have been on a hunger strike in a tent outside the Turin Olympic Vilage, Italy, to call attention to China’s oppression in Tibet. The Indefinite Hunger Strike, organized by the Tibetan Youth Congress and other local Tibet Support Groups in Turin, started more than a week ago but the world has been slow to catch up to the news of it.

Palden Gyatso, who is now in his seventees, was a young monk when he was first arrested and imprisoned for peaceful pro-independence protests in Lhasa. After 33 years of imprisonment, beatings, interrogation and solitary confinement, he was released by the Chinese authorities in response to immense pressure from other governments and Tibet supporters in the global community. Once he escaped into exile, he traveled the world like a gypsy, spreading the truth about China’s occupation of Tibet and opression of Tibetans. With his raw honesty and clear memory, he has inspired compassion, courage and a burning concern for Tibet in countless students in the West. Many of us who’re involved in this movement today can trace our reasons to the time when we heard his story or read his book. (Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk, also published as Fire Under the Snow).

As Palden Gyatso, Sonam Wangdu and Tamding Choephel enter their second week of hunger strike, please express your messages of support at http://www.tibetanyouthcongress.org

.



One Responseto “Palden Gyatso on Hunger Strike at Turin Olympics”

1. Lhadon Tethong says:

   February 25, 2006 at 2:07 pm

   Tibetan hunger strikers put IOC in tough spot over Chinese human rights

   http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=oly&id=2344582