A DAY FOR TIBET Thank you India, 50 years in exile

A Day For Tibet

Tibetans and Supporters in UK Gather Outside the Chinese Embassy to Demand the Immediate Release of Dhonudp Wangchen

London, 6^th August'09 – Protesters gathered opposite the Chinese Embassy, braving the torrential 'summer' rain to mark the anniversary of the release of the film 'Leaving Fear Behind' (Jigdrel), Tibetans and supporters protested against the imprisonment of Dhondup Wangchen. The Chinese government has charged Dhondup Wangchen, the Tibetan film-maker who made Leaving Fear Behind, of "inciting separatism," a charge which carries a severe prison sentence in China. His trail will be held in Siling in eastern Tibet (Chinese: Xining, Qinghai Province). Dhondup Wangchen's lawyers have been barred from representing him, casting serious doubt over the fairness of his trial. He has been subject to torture while in detention and is in very poor health after being brutally beaten and tortured by Chinese authorities.

Jigdel of Students for a Free Tibet UK clearly outlined the demands of the protesters - 'We demand the immediate release of Dhondup Wangchen, and that the Chinese government give fair trials to all political prisoners, so that miscarriages of justice like this do not happen.' The charges against Dhondup Wangchen follow a wave of harsh sentences carried out as part of the Chinese government's violent campaign to silence and intimidate Tibetan voices of dissent. China's crackdown against the mostly peaceful protests that spread across Tibet in March 2008 continue today, with more than 1,000 Tibetans still detained, imprisoned, or missing. As Tibetan areas remain largely closed off to foreigners and journalists, getting information out about the situation on the ground is very difficult, making it even more important that people worldwide hear the voices of Tibetans speaking in this film.

Last year, two members of SFT UK unfurled banners outside the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, two days before the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. In the subsequent twelve months, China's Olympic pledge to improve it's human rights record has been exposed as an outright lie.

Please help promote the film 'Leaving Fear Behind' by organizing a screening on your campus or in your community. For more information about the film, go to: http://sftuk.org/cms/LEAVING-FEAR-BEHIND

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Tibetans and Supporters Call for Jailed Filmmaker’s Release in Tokyo

By Tsering Dorje

Claiming the release of Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen on 1st August,
SFT Japan(Student for a Free Tibet Japan, the representative Tsering Dorjee) made a protest to the Embassy of China in Japan on 1st August. It forms part of the campaign launched by SFT (Headquarters in New York City). About fifteen protesters gathered in Tokyo including three Tibetans: Kelsan Dhondup(KD), the representative of Tibetan Community Japan, and two Tibet supporters from Amnesty International Japan.

Five protesters at a time were permitted to chant in chorus in front of the Embassy main gate. Tsering Dorjee and other participants made appeals with photographs of Dhondup Wangchen’s face or other items in their hands and shouted the slogans, “Return Dhondup Wangchen to his family”, “Engage a lawyer”, “Let him receive medical treatment” or “Release innocent Dhondup Wanchen”.

Afterward, SFT Japan issued a statement; freedom of Expression is a part of fundamental human rights, which must be respected in international society and also secured by the constitution of China. Holding Dhondup Wangchen in custody shows that China is never ” a constitutional state”.

Tsering Dorjee dropped a five-point petition into the Chinese Embassy mailbox saying “prompt unconditional release of Dhondup Wangchen”, “guarantee of his safety and humanitarian treatment to him” and “guarantee of needed medical treatment to him”.

Original reporting by SFT Japan.

Click here to view the youtube video
Click here to view photos from the protest

Canada: Speak out for Tibetan Filmmaker, Dhondup Wangchen!