‘Beijing 6′ Brian gives Shout Out to SFT on PBS Idea Lab

Brian Conley, creator of the well-known videoblog, Alive in Baghdad, and one of the ‘Beijing 6‘ citizen journalist detained this summer in Beijing for capturing images and videos of pro-Tibet actions during the Olympics, was interviewed for PBS Idea Lab about his incredibly important new project Alive in Tehran.

During his interview, Brian gave the following shout out to SFT and our efforts to break through China’s Great Firewall. Read and listen to the fill interview.

Ryan: So while you weren’t on the ground in Gaza, you had connections who were, and were able to get information out, too.

Brian: Exactly, and then we used Twitter to pull in questions from people and enable people to sort of interact with our guy on the ground there. So then when Iran started happening it seemed like a natural fit to try and use the same tools for the folks there, to enable them to basically communicate out. The primary thing that we’re trying, that we’re pushing right now, is basically a phone number that people can call, get to a voicemail box and record whatever they would like to say, and right now I have a public voice mailbox available via an Alive in Tehran Facebook [group].

Also, people can message me via twitter.com/baghdadbrian and then for people who are more private or who have family, they just want to share one voicemail box…we can set up a specific number for any individual. Beyond that, we’re looking at other tools. I’ve learned a little bit about how Students for a Free Tibet have gotten video out of Tibet. So there’s one tool I’m sort of sharing with people privately. Then there on Alive in Tehran we have a list of tools Iranians can use to communicate securely. So basically, right now it’s a lot of organizing and working it.

They Write Letters

Adam Zenko, who was detained near Tiananmen Square on August 10th following an SFT action that included the unfurling of a Tibetan flag by a Tibetan woman, writes to the editors of the New York Times in response to one of Nick Kristof’s ridiculous columns.

To the Editor:

Re “Malcontents Need Not Apply,” by Nicholas D. Kristof (column, Aug. 17):

Imagine my surprise to learn from Mr. Kristof that China is “no longer a totalitarian state.”

If he could somehow share this with the many thousands of Tibetan political prisoners, they would be gladdened to hear it.

Also, please pass the word to the undercover policemen who punched and kicked me on Aug. 10 while I stood near Tiananmen Square holding a banner reading “Tibetans Are Dying for Freedom.” Adam Zenko

San Francisco, Aug. 20, 2008

The writer is a member of Students for a Free Tibet.

Great work Adam.

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New York Times full-page ad today: Olympic ‘Athlete Wanted’ to stand up for Tibet

I don’t know if any of the small army of Chinese officials who live at the Chinese Consulate overlooking the West Side Highway here in Manhattan ever read the New York Times. But if they do, they likely coughed up their morning tea when they turned to page A9 in today’s Times.

I like to imagine Consul General Peng Keyu sitting down in his office and shaking his head at the front page story, just above the fold: Before Guests, Beijing Hides Some Messes.

“No, no, not hiding,” Mr. Peng says to himself. “Cleaning up. Cleaning up messes. Oh wait, no messes. There are no messes! Dammit.” And he turns to page A8 where the article continues.

Opposite the continued article on page A8 appears a full-page advertisement, impossible to ignore.

In big bold letters, it begins, “At every Olympics, there is ONE ATHLETE who ends up inspiring the world with their courage and character. We’re hoping that athlete is reading this.”

Mr. Peng’s stomach groans, and the phone begins to ring.

The ad copy continues:

WHO WILL STAND UP FOR TIBET THIS SUMMER? As 11,000 competitors gather to stand up for their countries, we ask them this: will one among you also stand up for Tibet? With the Olympics beckoning and the world looking to be inspired by your heroism, we remind you that 6 million Tibetans look to you for the very same thing. You can be there for Tibet, for they cannot. You can speak up for Tibet, for they have been silenced. The people of Tibet pass their torch to you. Will you carry it for them in Beijing?

At the bottom is the Team Tibet badge and the website address www.AthleteWanted.org

Of course, the ad and the website are just parts of a larger effort. Tibetans and their supporters have been reaching out to Olympic athletes from many participating countries, giving them packets of information about the Tibetan struggle and the current situation inside Tibet, T-shirts, small Tibetan flags, Rangzen Bracelets, and “Team Tibet” embroidered patches.

Athletes have already spoken out and expressed concerns about what is happening in Tibet right now. And they have reached out to Tibet groups (maybe us, maybe others, maybe I shouldn’t say!) for information, and advice on what they can do to show support. But until it happens, we may not know what kinds of actions athletes will take in Beijing. But we’re making sure they know.

In a press release sent out today to announce the ad, SFT Deputy Director Tendor says this:

“Olympic athletes have the platform and the power to inspire the world. At the Beijing Games, we believe athletes have the opportunity to inspire not only with their athletic performances, but also by standing up for what is right by supporting human rights and freedom for Tibet.”

Chinese Olympics Propaganda: Pretending to Permit Protest

On July 23rd, at a press conference for foreign journalists in Beijing, Chinese authorities announced that it will "allow protests" in Beijing during the Olympics.

Wow. Really? That’s unexpected. A real about-face for the Chinese authoritarian regime!

But wait, there’s a hitch or two. Or ten.

To demonstrate, one just has to go apply for permission from the city government and police, and give five days notice.

Oh, and a law passed by the Chinese government shortly after the Tiananmen Square massacre bars protests that harm the country’s unity, sovereignty and integrity or threatens social stability or the authority of the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

In other words, unless you’re protesting to show your outrage that China isn’t more ruthless in crushing Tibetan resistance, or demanding that Chinese authorities show more of a backbone by immediately invading Taiwan, your application ain’t gonna be approved.

And even with all that, Chinese officials are still being vague.

Liu Shaowu, director of the Beijing organising committee’s security department told reporters: "As for the concrete application, and who handles those applications, I have no clear information at this time."

According to a BBC report:

To underline just how sensitive the issue is, the Chinese authorities seemed reluctant to publicise exactly where protests would be allowed.

A transcript of Wednesday’s press conference on the Beijing organising committee’s website expunged the parks’ names.

Asked by a reporter for our comments on the Beijing "protest zones," Students for a Free Tibet had this to say:

Considering the massive security clampdown that the Chinese government is carrying out right now in Tibet and China, the so-called Olympic "protest zones" are nothing more than a cynical public relations ploy – likely devised for the Chinese authorities by PR firm Hill & Knowlton – a pathetic attempt to convince the world that China is open and free.

It is well known that anyone who protests or even disagrees with official Chinese policy is subject to intimidation, imprisonment, and torture and so the idea that a Tibetan could even safely apply for a permit to protest during the Beijing Olympics is a sad joke.

SFT Press Release on Lhasa Torch Relay

For Immediate Release: June 20, 2008

CHINA PARADES OLYMPIC TORCH THROUGH TIBETAN CAPITAL LHASA UNDER LOCKDOWN
Massive Chinese Security Presence Places Lhasa Under Virtual Martial Law for Olympics Propaganda Exercise

New York – Chinese authorities have placed the Tibetan capital under virtual martial law to prepare for a one-day Olympic torch relay, which begins today at 9am, Beijing time. Three months after a Tibetan popular uprising against China’s occupation began in Lhasa, thousands of Chinese police and paramilitary forces have been mobilized in the city. Checkpoints have been set up, paramilitary forces have been marching through the streets, and trucks filled with riot police are patrolling throughout Lhasa.

“China’s parading of the Olympic torch through the Tibetan capital only three months after a popular uprising against Chinese occupation is blatantly political and offensive,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “The Chinese government is wielding the Olympic torch as a tool of oppression over the heads of Tibetans still suffering under China’s brutal clampdown.”

An unconfirmed source in Lhasa has reported that Chinese officials have imposed an unofficial curfew banning unauthorized people from the streets until after 1pm when the torch relay concludes. The same source said that people have been told that they must not look out of their windows overlooking the torch relay route. According to a June 2nd report on China Tibet News, Tibetans have been “severely punished” for the crime of “creating and spreading rumors” regarding the torch relay.

“The torch relay in Lhasa is China’s latest episode in a series of betrayals of everything the Olympics represent,” said Kate Woznow, Campaigns Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Parading the torch through Lhasa while Tibetans live under virtual martial law is China’s most egregious exploitation of the Games yet.”
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Transcript of Press Conference by Tibet Activists on Eve of IOC Meeting in Athens

TIBET ACTIVISTS SPEAK OUT ON EVE OF INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE MEETING IN ATHENS
TRANSCRIPT OF STATEMENTS MADE AT PRESS CONFERENCE
JUNE 3RD, FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION OF GREECE, ATHENS

1) INTRODUCTION BY LHADON TETHONG, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET (SFT) INTERNATIONAL
2) TENDON DAHORTSANG, PRESIDENT, TIBETAN YOUTH ASSOCIATION IN EUROPE, ON THE CURRENT SITUATION IN TIBET
3) BORIS EICHLER, PRESS OFFICER, TIBET INITIATIVE DEUTSCHLAND, ON THE TORCH RELAY THROUGH TIBET
4) LHADON TETHONG, SFT, ON INTERNATIONAL MEDIA ACCESS TO TIBET

Below is the transcript of remarks by Tibet campaigners at a press conference at the Foreign Press Association of Greece in Athens, June 3rd. The press conference was broadcast live on the Internet and can be viewed at: www.sfttv.org. The remarks were followed by questions by reporters present in the room as well as by viewers who watched the press conference live online and asked their questions in an accompanying web-forum. Transcript may vary slightly from the remarks as delivered by the presenters but the following should be regarded as the official remarks of the identified activists.

INTRODUCTION BY LHADON TETHONG
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STUDENTS FOR A FREE TIBET INTERNATIONAL

Good Morning and thank you everyone for joining us.

My name is Lhadon Tethong and I am the Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet International based in New York.

As you know, we are here in Athens because the International Olympic Committee is meeting from tomorrow, June 4th to June 6th. This is their last meeting before August, followed shortly thereafter by the Beijing Games. Meanwhile, the meeting also comes just days before the Olympic torch is scheduled to make its first stop in Tibet.
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IOC Continues to Politicize Beijing Games

Apparently the International Olympic Committee is so afraid that some of the world’s top athletes may, after winning gold, silver, or bronze in their events, take the opportunity to express their views on China’s military occupation of Tibet. As such, the IOC has decided to specifically ban such displays now, in advance of the Games and to the great pleasure of the Beijing regime.

Waving the Tibet flag or paying tribute to the Dalai Lama during the medals ceremony will be against the rules at the Beijing Olympics, though the penalties for those infractions remain unknown.

With fewer than 100 days until the Beijing Games, the International Olympic Committee clarified its protest rules Monday, saying that athletes’ external appearance, clothing and gestures would be scrutinized at Olympic venues.

The IOC sent a six-point letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, to the national Olympic federations in response to their request for interpretations of Rule 51.3 of the Olympic charter. That rule states “no kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas.”

To recap, something like this is unacceptable political behavior that must be abolished by the IOC:

Whereas this is not a political action meriting any recognition, response, or attention by the IOC:

This has been your daily dose of mind-numbing hypocrisy and groveling at the feet of authoritarian governments, brought to you by Jacques Rogge and the International Olympic Committee.

Tibetans Protest Coke’s Sponsorship of China’s Torch Relay

For Immediate Release
April 16, 2008

TIBETANS PROTEST COKE’S SPONSORSHIP OF CHINA’S TORCH RELAY AT SHAREHOLDERS MEETING; DEMAND “NO TORCH IN TIBET”

Delaware – Tibetans and supporters protested Coca-Cola’s annual shareholder meeting this morning, calling on the company’s executives to use their influence to pressure the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to immediately withdraw Tibet from China’s Olympic torch relay route. More than a hundred Tibetans protested outside the meeting with colorful flags and banners reading “No Torch in Tibet,” while two Tibetan spokespeople raised concerns inside the meeting directly with company executives and shareholders. Tibetans and human rights activists fear that allowing the Olympic torch to be run through Tibet will heighten tensions leading to an increased crackdown by Chinese authorities.

“It is unconscionable that Coke would sponsor China’s torch relay through Tibet at a time when thousands of Tibetans are being rounded up and imprisoned, monasteries and nunneries are being raided, and people are being shot in the streets for taking part in peaceful protests,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet who spoke at today’s meeting. “We are calling on Coke executives to do the right thing and avoid the massive public relations disaster that will plague Coke if it is seen to be complicit in China’s crackdown on innocent Tibetans.”

In March 2006, Coke became a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact, making a commitment to “support and respect the protection of international human rights within its sphere of influence” and to ensure that it is not “complicit in human rights abuses.” Government officials in Tibet have threatened to respond “harshly and with no leniency” to anyone who tries to disrupt the torch relay when it arrives in Tibet next month.

“My family inside Tibet is living in a constant state of fear, which will only be exacerbated if the Olympic torch is allowed to be paraded through the streets of Lhasa and other Tibetan areas,” said Lobsang Choephel, one of the Tibetans who spoke at the shareholders meeting. Lobsang’s relative, a 15 year-old middle school student, was shot and killed by Chinese authorities in eastern Tibet one month ago today. “Coke’s executives will have blood on their hands if they remain silent on this issue,” he added.

The shareholders meeting follows on the heels of massive protests by Tibetans and supporters in London, Paris and San Francisco and on the eve of the arrival of the Olympic torch in New Delhi where thousands are expected to protest along the relay route.

Tibetans to run parallel torch relay in Delhi

Times of India
April 14, 2008

NEW DELHI (IANS) - As the Beijing Olympics torch relay takes place in the capital on Thursday, protesting Tibetans will run a parallel torch relay for a “free Tibet” on the other side of the city at the same time.

To be run from Rajghat to the Jantar Mantar observatory, the Tibetan torch relay will have an estimated participation of nearly 5,000 people, its organisers claim. (more…)