Compiling ICT’s log of protests in Tibet from August 2008 to the present day brought out the whole spectrum of emotions. Primarily, it was impossible not to be deeply moved and impressed by the bravery of the protestors, particularly those who acted alone and could have been in no doubt they were risking their liberty and even their life by protesting in public; it was impossible too not to be terrified, particularly...

The ICT field team reports from Kathmandu that on the evening of October 26, hundreds of Tibetans in Nepal gathered in Boddhanath, the center of Tibetan cultural and religious activities in Kathmandu, to protest against the Chinese government’s recent execution of two Tibetan prisoners, Lobsang Gyaltsen and Loyak. The two executions were confirmed by the Chinese government on October 23 and were the first...

On July 7, some of us from the International Campaign for Tibet went to participate in the rally in Washington, D.C., organized by the Uyghur American Association to draw attention to the Chinese government’s crackdown on the Uyghur demonstrators in Urumchi (Chinese: Urumqi) and other places in Eastern Turkestan (Chinese: Xinjiang). The atmosphere was charged and passions were high. I could feel a deep sense...

Events in Urumchi, the regional capital of Xinjiang — referred to by the local Uyghur people as East Turkistan — could hardly be worse. Anyone with any understanding of the PRC’s attempts to administer its far western hinterlands, including Tibet, is well aware that the policies in place are a disaster waiting to happen. But if the protests in Urumchi and elsewhere in East Turkistan can be...

Black and white comparisons, or comparisons between old and new or backward and developed, form the core theme of Chinese propaganda. Driven by such a viewpoint, the Communist government is forever and tirelessly telling the “masses” that it is only the Communist Party that can bring the suppressed masses a bright future, and it is only the Communist Party that is the “Saviour” of the world and thus...

People the world over are moved to action on the issue of Tibet for a variety of reasons, including the injustice of what they see happening there, their reverence for the Dalai Lama, their own experiences of living under tyranny, or any combination of the above. But how people can best use their time, energy and other resources for Tibet – and to what effect – is a question that many people struggle with,...

On 9th March, the Tibet Intergroup of the French Senate released an International Statement of Commitment to Promoting Human Rights for Tibetans and a Peaceful Solution to the Question of Tibet. Members of 14 national parliaments and the European Parliament signed onto the statement: Germany, Belgium, Estonia, the European Parliament, Denmark, US Congress, Poland, Sweden, the UK, France, Italy, Norway, the Czech...