In the run up to the Beijing Winter Olympics 2022, Dhondup Wangchen is touring European Countries to deliver his message that China do not deserve to be Olympic hosts again.
Visit his tour website My Olympic Oath.
News
Dhondup Wangchen’s Visit to Washington DC Concludes
DC visit of Dhondup Wangchen a huge encouragement, says Filming for Tibet
Washington DC, February 15, 2017:
Tibetan video documentarist Dhondup Wangchen concluded his first visit to Washington DC today. The aims of his visit were to thank individuals and organisations who had supported him while imprisoned by China, to testify at a Hearing on Tibet by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and to speak about the current situation in Tibet.
Dhondup Wangchen said: “This visit to Washington DC has been an opportunity for me to thank many people and organisations who closely followed my case while I was in prison and I have been very warmly welcomed here. While the situation inside Tibet has worsened since Leaving Fear Behind was released in 2008, Tibetans in Tibet have not given up their struggle for freedom.”
Accompanying Dhondup Wangchen in DC, Dechen Pemba, spokesperson for Filming for Tibet said, “Many people we met in DC had re-watched Leaving Fear Behind and were commenting that the film had lost none of its power even ten years on. This speaks to the power of documentary filmmaking and the importance of highlighting voices from inside Tibet and should be an encouragement for us to continue this work with more determination.”
During his 4 day visit, Dhondup Wangchen met with State Department officials, representatives from various human rights NGOs in DC, congressman Jim McGovern and the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He testified at the Hearing on Tibet on February 14 in front of Senators Marco Rubio and Steve Daines, congressman Chris Smith and Ted Lieu were also present. Dhondup Wangchen spoke to the Tibetan and Mandarin services of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America and was interviewed by the Washington Post. Dhondup Wangchen was also honoured by Leader Nancy Pelosi at a reception attended by representatives and dignitaries.
Dhondup Wangchen was hosted in Washington DC by the International Campaign for Tibet and accompanied by his cousin Jamyang Tsultrim, his son Tenzin Norbu and Dechen Pemba.
Washington Post article with Dondup Wangchen
Sarah Sewall hugging Dhondup Wangchen, right Jamyang Tsultrim
Testimony of Dhondup Wangchen at the Hearing by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China on “Tibet “From All Angles”: Protecting Human Rights, Defending Strategic Access, and Challenging China’s Export of Censorship Globally”
February 14, 2018
United States Congress
Washington, D.C.
Dhondup Wangchen meets with State Department and says: Tibetans have not given up their struggle for freedom!
Dhondup Wangchen started his visit in DC, today. He was invited by Scott Busby and Mike Kozak, who both serve as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor and for multilateral and global issues. There was great interest for his personal story and his view on the present situation in Tibet. Dhondup Wangchen assured them: Tibetans in Tibet have not given up their struggle for freedom! He was accompanied by Matteo Meccaci (International Campaign for Tibet) and by Jamyang Tsultrim and Dechen Pemba who represented Filming for Tibet. He had further meetings with Laura Stone (Dep Ass. Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific) and other sections of the State Department.
Tibetan Activist Dhondup Wangchen to testify before United States Congress, during first visit to Washington DC
Tibetan video activist Dhondup Wangchen is visiting Washington, D.C. from February 9 to 15, 2018 to testify at a Hearing organized by the Congressional Executive Commission on China and will meet Congressional and Administration officials. The Hearing will take place on Wednesday, February 14 from 10am to 12pm in 301 Russell Senate Office Building. In addition to calling on the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, he will also meet with Washington based NGOs as well as the Tibetan community.
Detained by Chinese authorities in Tibet in March 2008 for making the documentary film “Leaving Fear Behind” (in which ordinary Tibetans expressed their feelings about their situation in the light of the Beijing Olympics), Dhondup Wangchen was sentenced to six years in prison for “inciting subversion”. His friend and assistant, Tibetan monk Golok Jigme, suffered from detention and torture, too. Dhondup was released at the end of his sentence in 2014, but continued to be deprived of his freedom.
After an arduous and risky escape from Tibet and China, he arrived in the United States on December 25, 2017, to be united with his wife and children in San Francisco, who escaped from Tibet before his arrest in 2008 and reached the United States in 2012.
Dhondup Wangchen became a face of 2008 and his courageous non-violent work earned recognition and support throughout the world, among civil society, parliaments and governments. Dhondup’s case was a priority for the United States government, and it has now been almost 10 years since he was first arrested. During his visit to Washington, D.C., he will be personally thanking many of the key actors who called on the Chinese authorities to end his unjust detention.
The International Campaign for Tibet and Zurich-based Filming for Tibet (which released the documentary “Leaving Fear Behind”) are organizing Dhondup Wangchen’s Washington, D.C. visit. For more information on the two organizations, visit www.filmingfortibet.org/ and www.savetibet.org.
San Francisco, 27 December: Tibetan video activist Dhondup Wangchen arrived to safety in San Francisco on the afternoon of 25 December, after an arduous and risky escape from Tibet and the People’s Republic of China.
A clearly tired but relieved Dhondup Wangchen, 43, said on arrival, “After many years, this is the first time I’m enjoying the feeling of safety and freedom. I would like to thank everyone who made it possible for me to hold my wife and children in my arms again. However, I also feel the pain of having left behind my country, Tibet.”
Dhondup Wangchen will address the media fully in due course.
“Dhondup Wangchen is a courageous individual who never gave up his beliefs in basic human rights and freedoms. He felt he had no choice but to flee Tibet which was an extremely risky and dangerous escape. The fact is that he should never have been detained, imprisoned and tortured by China for filming and giving air to Tibetan grievances. Now he’s finally free to speak out”, said Wangpo Tethong, spokesperson from Filming for Tibet.
Detained by Chinese authorities in Tibet in March 2008 for making the documentary film “Leaving Fear Behind”, Dhondup Wangchen was sentenced to six years in prison for “inciting subversion”. His friend and assistant, Tibetan monk Golok Jigme, suffered from detention and torture, too. “Leaving Fear Behind” was released worldwide by Zurich-based Filming for Tibet lead by Dhondup Wangchen’s cousin, Gyaljong Tsetrin.
Dhondup Wangchen’s arrest and imprisonment sparked one of the most intensive campaigns for a Tibetan activist. He contracted Hepatitis B in prison and was made to undergo manual labour. Even though he was released from a prison in Qinghai’s provincial capital Xining on June 5, 2014, he remained under strict surveillance with his movements and communications constantly monitored. Dhondup Wangchen was able to successfully evade the authorities and flee from his home area in Tibet and then the People’s Republic of China altogether.
From left to right: Tenzin Norbu, Tenzin Dadon, Lhamo Tso, Dhondup Wangchen, Lhamo Dolma, Tashi Tsering in San Francisco on 26 December, 2017.
After many years of tireless campaigning for her husband, Dhondup Wangchen’s wife Lhamo Tso and their children were granted political asylum in USA in 2012. Golok Jigme was able to escape from Tibet, reaching the Tibetan Reception Centre in Dharamsala, India in May 2014. He was granted political asylum in Switzerland in 2015.
Dhondup Wangchen’s journey to safety has taken over ten years and Filming for Tibet would like to acknowledge the help and support of numerous private individuals, artists, groups, organisations and governments along the way. Dhondup Wangchen was recipient of the Committee to Protect Journalists International Press Freedom Award in 2012 and the Václav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent in 2014.
Contact:
Wangpo Tethong (English, German): +1 415 802 7216
Dechen Pemba (English): + 44 20 3286 5186
Gyaljong Tsetrin (Tibetan): + 41 76 462 67 68
Media enquiries: media@filmingfortibet.org
STATEMENT ON ARREST AND DETENTION OF TIBETAN FILMMAKER PEMA TSEDEN
by Filming for Tibet
We are shocked to hear that on Saturday 25 June 2016, internationally acclaimed award-winning filmmaker Pema Tseden was forcefully arrested by police at Xining Airport, Qinghai, China. Pema Tseden was treated harshly and sustained injuries, in addition to high blood pressure. He was admitted to hospital on the afternoon of June 27th. As of now, his exact status in unclear, but reports state he is still in custody.
In an altercation at the airport pertaining to missing luggage, Pema was arbitrarily arrested on charges of disturbing public order, but there have been no official statements made or clarifications on the nature of the laws broken by him. Tibetan netizens inside Tibet and abroad only received news of his arrest today June 29, four days later.
We thank the Film Directors Guild of China for publicly showing their concern and applaud their call for a swift resolution of this unfortunate situation.
At Filming for Tibet we believe in the power of films to tell stories and Pema Tseden is one of the foremost Tibetan storytellers who has received recognition and respect both domestically as well as internationally in the global film fraternity. He is one of Tibet’s most well-known, authentic, and creative filmmakers. We have had the honour to screen his films The Search, Silent Holy Stones and Old Dog at Tibet Film Festival both in Zurich, Switzerland and Dharamshala, India over the years. Pema Tseden’s films represent a refreshing new voice that gives nuanced commentary on contemporary Tibet and China. Voices such as his need to be nurtured, encouraged and protected.
We at Filming for Tibet strongly deplore the arrest and detention of Pema Tseden, and demand that he be released and that the provincial authorities investigate this upsetting incident of police encroachment.
Filming for Tibet
Zurich, Switzerland & Dharamshala, India
SEND US YOUR FILM
The theme for this year’s short film competition is “Food”, and we are curious and excited to see how our filmmakers will treat this subject.
The winners of the Jury Prizes and the Audience Prizes will be awarded with THE YAK PRIZE, a sculpture made by Tibetan artist Thubten Purang and 500/300/200 USD (Jury Prizes) and USD 200 (Audience Prize Dharamsala and Zurich).
For the submission rules check here: The general eligibility requirements!
(http://tibetfilmfestival.org/short-film-competition/general-eligibility-requirements/)
Zurich/Dharamsala – The organisers of the Tibet Film Festival are proud and very happy to announce that the Tibet Film Festival 2016 will be held in Zurich on 16 and 17 September 2016 and in Dharamsala on 17 and 18 September 2016.
The cornerstone of this year’s festival will be films from Tibet and new productions by Tibetan filmmakers in exile. We very much look forward to seeing many great entries for our short film competition and take this opportunity to encourage all Tibetan filmmakers to take part in this segment of the festival. In previous years, the short film competition has had tremendous response and support from young, aspiring and established Tibetan filmmakers.
The theme for this year’s short film competition is “Food”, and we are curious and excited to see how our filmmakers will treat this subject.
For more information see here our official announcement.
Zurich, 5 June 2015
Today, 5 June 2015, marks the one year anniversary of Dhondup Wangchen’s release from prison in Qinghai’s provincial capital Xining. Dhondup Wangchen had served a six year prison sentence for making the documentary film “Leaving Fear Behind”. However, far from being a free man, Dhondup Wangchen has endured a year of surveillance and closer monitoring, with his movements and communications restricted.
Lhamo Tso, wife of Dhondup Wangchen who was granted US asylum in 2012 and now lives in San Francisco, can’t to travel to China or Tibet to see her husband due to her asylum status. She said: “I, as well as his aged parents, had hoped that Dhondup Wangchen’s release from prison would bring our family closer together again. But this year has been just as hard as the previous years as we are still separated. My children and I are incredibly frustrated that their father hasn’t been allowed to join us in USA.”
Gyaljong Tsetrin, Zurich-based cousin of Dhondup Wangchen and producer of “Leaving Fear Behind” said: “I have very limited contact with Dhondup Wangchen as the authorities are monitoring his every move. I know from my own experience how hard it is upon release from prison and to be in ill health. The authorities apply all kinds of restrictions on former political prisoners. I hope that I will be able to meet him again when he is truly free.”
Dhondup Wangchen has been generally staying with relatives in Khotse in Tibet since his release. He is not recovering his health and is still suffering from his liver problems and high blood pressure which is a constant source of concern for his family and friends abroad.
Contact:
Lhamo Tso, San Francisco (Tibetan only) +1 (510) 680-3244 (please note Pacific Time!)
Gyaljong Tsetrin, Zurich (Tibetan only) +41 76 462 67 68
(1) Khotse (ཁོ་ཚེ), (in Chinese, 科却 Keque) Google Map: https://goo.gl/maps/9MRH4 ;
Golog Jigme on Arrival in Zurich Airport, with Members of Filming for Tibet
(Photo by Filming for Tibet)
Zurich, 24 January, 2015
Tibetan monk, filmmaker and social activist Golog Jigme, aka Jigme Gyatso, arrived in Switzerland on the morning of 24 January 2015 from India. Approximately 40 Tibetans gave Golog Jigme a heroes welcome at Zurich airport upon his arrival at 7am with Tibetan flags and welcoming banners.
Representatives from the Tibetan Community in Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Tibetan Women’s Association, and from the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe Filming for Tibet, took turns to present Golog Jigme with a khata (a Tibetan white ceremonial scarf).
Golog Jigme addressed the assembled crowd with a few words, “I’m extremely touched to see so many of you here today, thank you for welcoming me to Switzerland. I’d like to thank you for welcoming me. I will seek medical consultation and treatment. While I am here I also plan to explore ways in which I can continue my work for Tibet”.
This is Golog Jigme’s first trip to a Western country. Golog Jigme was jailed by China for assisting filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen in the making of the documentary “Leaving Fear Behind” in 2008. He was arrested in 2008 and released after months of torture. However, he suffered from continued harassment by the police and then disappeared in 2012 after the police started a hunt for him under false charges. After spending almost one year and 18 months in hiding, fearing for his life, Golog Jigme fled to India and finally reached the Tibetan Reception Centre in Dharamsala on 18 May, 2014.
Gyaljong Tsetrin, President of Filming for Tibet and old friends with Golog Jigme said, “It’s wonderful that Golog Jigme has reached Switzerland, a safe country with excellent medical facilities. It’s important that Golog Jigme rest and recuperate after all the torture and hardships he has suffered over the last few years.”
On 25 January, 2015, there will be a welcome event for Golog Jigme in Zurich where he will also give a talk.
In May 2014, Golog Jigme was listed by Reporters Without Borders among their list of “100 Information Heroes” on World Press Freedom Day.