FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 26, 2007
Contact: Lhadon Tethong 917.418.4181
Tenzin Dorjee 646.724.0748
[New York] – Tibetans and their supporters are joining protests and vigils worldwide today to demand the Chinese government immediately release Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, a revered Buddhist leader from Eastern Tibet. On January 26th 2003, Tenzin Delek’s death sentence was upheld and his co-accused Lobsang Dhondup was executed, prompting a global outcry. Following an unprecedented two year campaign waged by Tibetan rights groups, Chinese authorities converted Tenzin Delek’s death sentence to life in prison. To mark this anniversary, Tenzin Delek’s image is being displayed on people’s clothing and in storefronts and on public landmarks in cities around the world as part of Students for a Free Tibet’s “FaceJam the Planet” initiative aimed at increasing public pressure for his release.
“Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is suffering at the hands of the Chinese government for crimes he did not commit,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “His treatment is a reflection of the brutality of China’s rule in Tibet and the ongoing repression of Tibetans’ freedom of expression and religion.
The Chinese government hopes that over time his plight, and the plight of the Tibetan people, will be forgotten -but we are not going to let that happen.”
Since his arrest in 2002, tens of thousands of people and many foreign governments have appealed to the Chinese authorities for Tenzin Delek’s release, making him one of the most high profile Tibetan political prisoners in recent years. It is widely believed that he was targeted by Chinese authorities for his promotion and protection of Tibetan culture, religion and the environment and his steadfast support of the Dalai Lama’s philosophy of nonviolence. According to Human Rights Watch and other international rights monitoring agencies, both Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and Lobsang Dhondup were denied their basic legal rights and no credible evidence was ever presented against them.
“A life sentence in a Chinese prison, where torture and abuse are commonplace, is akin to a death sentence and we will continue to pressure China until he is free,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “In the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, the Chinese leadership is trying to re-brand its image within the global community, but as long as Tibetans like Tenzin Delek Rinpoche are imprisoned, all their efforts will fail and the true face of this brutal regime will remain exposed.”
In New York, Tibetans and their supporters will be gathering at the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, which is located at E 35th Street and 1st Avenue to hold a candle light vigil at 4pm. For photos of protests and actions around the world, please visit www.studentsforafreetibet.org.
