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Free Tibet (FT) is a non-profit,
non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
, founded in 1987 and based in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. According to their mission statement, Free Tibet advocates for "a free
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
in which Tibetans are able to determine their own future and the human rights of all are respected." According to their website, FT campaigns for an "end to China's occupation of Tibet and for international recognition of Tibetans' right to freedom". The organisation is a member of the
International Tibet Network The International Tibet Network, established in 2000, is a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organisations campaigning to end the China's occupation and human rights violations in Tibet, and restore rights to the Tibetan people. ...
(ITN), a worldwide group of affiliated organisations campaigning for
human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
and self-determination in Tibet. They mobilize active support for the Tibetan cause, champion human rights, and challenge those whose actions sustain what they see as occupation.


Current activity


Political prisoners

As a result of China's censorship, many political dissenters are arrested and imprisoned for promoting or expressing religious, social, economic, and political principles the
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
(CCP) disapproves of. FT seeks the release of
political prisoners A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although nu ...
through
lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...
political leaders, circulating petitions, and organising urgent action campaigns. This approach has been successful in securing the early release of prominent political prisoners such as Phuntso Nyidon, reducing
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche Lithang Tulku Tenzin Delek Rinpoche or Tenzing Deleg () (1950 – 2015) was a Tibetan Buddhist leader from Garze, Sichuan. He is also known for working to develop social, medical, educational and religious institutions for Tibetan nomads in eas ...
's sentence from a death sentence to life in prison and was possibly influential in ensuring Runggye Adak's relatively low-length sentence in 2007. FT maintains a list of current prisoners, released prisoners, and those that have received death sentences.


Save Larung Gar

In June 2016, FT received reports that Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in eastern Tibet was soon to undergo a series of evictions and demolitions. An order issued by the government of Serta County stated that the population was to be reduced to a maximum of 5,000 residents over the next 15 months, down from the well over 10,000 living there at the time. The order also imposed a system of joint management on the monastery, with
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Civil ...
officials outnumbering monastic officials three to two under the new regime. The monastery was also required to hand over financial management to Chinese authorities. The work at Larung Gar began on 20 July 2016, as residents were moved out and their residences demolished. Free Tibet was able to garner media attention for the situation at Larung Gar with stories in the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
'' and ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' among others. Free Tibet helped to organise a series of world-wide protests at Chinese embassies and also initiated an online petition and various emailing campaigns directed at the
United Front Work Department The United Front Work Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (UFWD; ) is a department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) which is officially tasked with "united front work". For this endeav ...
, Chinese embassies and foreign ministers. Following on from these, the situation at Larung Gar was brought up by the
US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other nati ...
, the
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus) is a bipartisan caucus of the United States House of Representatives. Its stated mission is "to promote, defend and advocate internationally recogniz ...
as well as various Canadian and British MPs.


Past campaigns


InterContinental: Parasites in Paradise

In 2013 FT launched the Parasites in Paradise campaign to protest
Intercontinental Hotels Intercontinental is an adjective to describe something which relates to more than one continent. Intercontinental may also refer to: * Intercontinental ballistic missile, a long-range guided ballistic missile * InterContinental Hotels Group (IH ...
' opening of the Lhasa Paradise Hotel in Tibet. Together with Students for a Free Tibet, FT called for a boycott of InterContinental Hotels, asserting that the Lhasa Paradise Hotel was little more than a "PR coup for the Chinese government" and that the marginalisation of the Tibetan people will only increase with the building of the hotel. On their website Free Tibet writes that, "Intercontinental will sell the image of a peaceful, spiritual and unspoiled land, but after more than 60 years of military occupation by the world's largest dictatorship, Tibet is no paradise." Additionally, it has been argued that the Tibetan people themselves would not benefit from any jobs or opportunities which would be created by the hotel's opening as the hotel's staff will speak Chinese, a language most Tibetans do not speak. Tibetan illiteracy is a major concern of many activists and scholars as Chinese is the language of economic, social, and political life in Tibet. In addition to the boycott, Free Tibet sent a petition of over 10,500 signatures to InterContinental's chief executive Richard Solomons. The petition called for Solomons to pull InterContinental out of Lhasa because IHG's operation of a hotel in Tibet, where China's human rights violations have been especially prominent, "is in direct contradiction to Intercontinental's Corporate Social Responsibility policies." Free Tibet also organised protests in London in an effort to sway InterContinental.


Stop Torture campaign

Investigations into China's human rights situation have shown that torture is used routinely in many prisons and interrogations. In 2008 Free Tibet submitted evidence to the UN Committee Against Torture in
Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
detailing the record of abuse inside Tibet. Subsequently, the UN Committee concluded that torture in Tibet is "widespread and routine". FT has also worked alongside celebrities such as
Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakespe ...
,
David Threlfall David John Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series '' Shameless''. He has also directed several episodes of the show. In A ...
,
Juliet Stevenson Juliet Anne Virginia Stevenson, (born 30 October 1956) is an English actor of stage and screen. She is known for her role in the film ''Truly, Madly, Deeply'' (1991), for which she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leadi ...
, and
Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (2014–2019), ...
to record testimonies of tortured Tibetans. The organisation used the video testimonies to create more awareness and urge people to take action by writing to
William Hague William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
and Chinese political representatives to put a stop to torture in Tibet. In 2004 Free Tibet organised a UK tour for
Palden Gyatso Palden Gyatso (1933, Panam, Tibet – 30 November 2018, Dharamshala, India, bo, དཔལ་ལྡན་རྒྱ་མཚོ་ dpal ldan rgya mtsho) was a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Arrested for protesting during the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he ...
, a Tibetan monk who was arrested during the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Gyatso spent 33 years in Chinese prisons and labor camps enduring systematic
torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. definitions of tortur ...
after being arrested for calling for Tibet's freedom. Gyatso was released in 1992 and escaped to
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, he has since toured the world spreading awareness about human rights violations in Tibet. During the 2004 tour he spoke at numerous conventions, and events. In February 2015 Free Tibet joined with their research partner, Tibet Watch, to write a report on Chinese torture in Tibet. The report, "Torture in Tibet", it was submitted to the
United Nations Committee Against Torture The Committee Against Torture (CAT) is a treaty body of human rights experts that monitors implementation of the United Nations Convention against Torture by state parties. The Committee is one of eight UN-linked human rights treaty bodies. Al ...
. "Torture in Tibet" documents torture survivor testimonies from Golog Jigme, Tenzin Namgyal, and Kelsang Tsundue, Tibetan deaths in custody, deaths resulting from torture, and a number of prisoners who they believe to be at particular risk of torture.


Confucius Classrooms: Hosting a Dragon

Free Tibet launched their Confucius Classroom campaign in order to spread awareness about the negative aspects of Hanban's Confucius Institute. The Confucius Institute is a program run through the organisation
Hanban Hanban (), also known as Confucius Institute Headquarters, is the colloquial abbreviation for the Office of Chinese Language Council International (). It was originally called the China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language ( ...
which is directed by the People's Republic of China Ministry of Education. Confucius Institutes are established over 500 Confucius Institutes in Universities and well over 600 Confucius Classrooms in schools overseas. Although Confucius Classrooms focus on language and culture, the Hanban employed tutors must also promote an "understanding of China" and the tutors are banned from teaching about certain aspects of Chinese history, culture, and society. The program has been labeled by some as propagandistic and has been criticised for limiting academic freedom and thought through self-censorship. This controversy was enhanced when a senior Chinese politician described the programme as "an important part of China's 'overseas propaganda set-up. FT has been providing media updates, press releases, and news stories regarding Confucius Classrooms in the UK. The organisation has also reached out to schools operating Confucius Classrooms and provided them with teaching materials to ensure that students also learn about the humanitarian and environmental issues surrounding Tibet. Additionally, Free Tibet calls for public action through contacting local Ministry of Education officials.


Jailed Musicians

Through their Jailed Musicians campaign Free Tibet works to bring awareness to the global community of China's censorship laws. The organisation lists ten different musicians who have been arrested and imprisoned because of their artistic works, however many other unlisted Tibetan musicians have been detained. Free Tibet approached the UN and in a joint urgent appeal asked for an official inquiry into the whereabouts of each musician as many of the artists' whereabouts are unknown. The UN responded and China was forced to provide information concerning the trials, whereabouts, and sentences of most of the jailed singers. However Chinese officials could not account for the whereabouts or conditions of two different men who had also been arrested. The charge laid against the musicians was for, "seditiously splitting the state", and the men received sentences ranging two to six years; however many of the imprisoned singers were held without a trial or legal representation for extended periods of time. Free Tibet calls for the release of the jailed singers, stating, "Music is a vital part of Tibetans' resistance to Chinese rule. Singers like these not only keep alive a culture that China is trying to erase from the world, but their songs embody the aspirations, fears and courage of a people who remain proud and defiant after 60 years of occupation." The campaign focuses on educating the public about the censorship and oppression of art and expression in China while also advocating for the imprisoned men through a petition and through lobbying domestic and foreign politicians. But Tibetan musicians still perform which can be seen on websites such as YouTube.


Break the Silence

Free Tibet launched their Break the Silence campaign to highlight the reluctance of world leaders to publicly speak out in support of Tibet. China's foreign policy surrounding the Dalai Lama is strict and world leaders' meetings with the Dalai Lama oftentimes causes major friction with China. China is able to easily intimidate many world leaders from meeting with the Dalai Lama and from speaking out in support of Tibet. The campaign encourages supporters to write to world leaders and ask them to speak out for Tibet. Two videos were developed by Free Tibet, one featuring David Cameron and one featuring
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
.


Olympics protests

In March 2008 Free Tibet reported extensively on the unrest in Tibet which precipitated a series of large scale protests. Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) continue to gather evidence about the protests, their suppression and repercussions. During the process of securing an Olympics bid from the International Olympics Committee (IOC), China promised to improve its human rights record. Wang Wei, head of the bid committee was quoted saying, "We are confident that the Games coming to China not only promote our economy but also enhance all social conditions, including education, health and human rights." However, China largely failed to improve its human rights abuses and major news sources around the world criticised both the Chinese government for failing to fulfil its promise and the IOC for not being more discerning in its choice for the 2008 Olympics. Activists argued that China's human rights violations were incompatible with the spirit of the Olympic Games. Free Tibet worked to expose Chinese human rights violations through helping to organise and participating in large scale rallies in central London during the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay in which thousands of Tibet supporters filled the streets. The magnitude of the protests was such that China and the IOC were forced, in a move that was highly publicised, to reduce and re-route relays in other cities. Following the Olympics, China analysts speculated on the possibility that the authorities would begin dealing harshly with Tibetan dissenters after world attention moved off Beijing. After the Olympics ended, Chinese authorities did initiate a state of ''de facto'' martial law in Tibet by moving troops into Tibetan areas and handing down harsh sentences for Tibetans who protested against Chinese rule or who reported on the human rights conditions in Tibet. Again in 2012, Free Tibet started a campaign with a focus on the Olympics, the new campaign was titled Fly the Flag. In order to highlight China's illegal occupation of Tibet, Free Tibet encouraged supporters to send in pictures of themselves with the flag of Tibet at Olympic locations around London and Great Britain. Through this campaign Free Tibet also exposed the IOC's ban on the Tibetan flag at the Olympics. Fly the Flag especially highlights Chinese suppression of Tibetan freedom of expression as the
Tibetan flag Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken diale ...
itself is banned in China and anyone in possession of the flag or its image is subject to official questioning and arrest.


Olympics 2022

Free Tibet unsuccessfully created a petition calling for the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to refrain from giving the bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics to Beijing. In 2008 when Beijing hosted the summer Olympics, China promised to improve its human rights record before the Olympic Games. However China failed to ameliorate their human rights abuses and instead continued to oppress citizens and media outlets. On the basis of continued human rights violations, Free Tibet argued that China should not be considered a suitable place for the 2022 Winter Olympics. On 10 June 2015 Free Tibet worked with the
International Tibet Network The International Tibet Network, established in 2000, is a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organisations campaigning to end the China's occupation and human rights violations in Tibet, and restore rights to the Tibetan people. ...
to stage a protest outside of the Lausanne Palace Hotel in
Lausanne, Switzerland Lausanne ( , , , ) ; it, Losanna; rm, Losanna. is the capital and largest city of the Swiss French speaking canton of Vaud. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway between the Jura Mountains and the Alps, and fac ...
. The protest was successful in disrupting the bid process and in catching the attention of international media.


Another Perfect Day in Tibet

In 2014, a Free Tibet investigation uncovered around 100 fake online accounts Chinese authorities were using propagandistically. The accounts had fake western names and photographs taken from randomly chosen websites and personal accounts. Each fake profile circulated pro-Chinese, anti-
Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
propaganda in an attempt to convince followers that Tibet was free from humanitarian and environmental strife and portrayed it as an idyllic and peaceful province of China. Free Tibet wrote that, "China is highly sensitive to any signs of international support for Tibetan freedom and has declared its intention to 'win over' Western public opinion on the issue. Its message is that Tibetans have benefited hugely from Chinese investment and that the environment and
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
of Tibet is protected and safe in China's hands", in its exposition of the propaganda campaign. Twitter removed the fake accounts after Free Tibet submitted an official complaint to the social media executives.


See also

*
List of organizations of Tibetans in exile This page is a list of organisations of Tibetans in exile. Most of the organisations listed are groups of ethnic Tibetans outside of Tibet and based in Dharamsala. The Dharamshala Indian community materialised around the Dalai Lama, who moved t ...
*
International Tibet Network The International Tibet Network, established in 2000, is a global coalition of Tibet-related non-governmental organisations campaigning to end the China's occupation and human rights violations in Tibet, and restore rights to the Tibetan people. ...
* Tibetan Freedom Concert (1996-2012)


References


External links

* {{Authority control 1987 establishments in the United Kingdom China–United Kingdom relations Human rights organisations based in the United Kingdom Tibetan independence movement Political organisations based in London Organizations established in 1987 Lobbying in the United Kingdom Confucius Institute Indigenous rights organizations in Europe