Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen,
who directed and filmed the documentary "Leaving Fear Behind" (excerpt embedded above)
has been charged with "inciting separatism" and is awaiting
trial in Siling in eastern Tibet (Chinese: Xining, Qinghai
Province). The Chinese government will not allow his lawyers to
represent him, so there is not much hope for a fair trial.
Supporters are urging people to take action, by sending a letter to Wu
Aiying, China's Minister of Justice and Zhang Yesui, China's
Ambassador to the United Nations, demanding Dhondup Wangchen's
immediate and unconditional release.
Dhondup Wangchen has been detained since March 2008 and has
suffered torture and ill-treatement at the hands of the Chinese
authorities. He is being targeted for simply exercising his
right to freedom of expression, and the charges against him are
part of the Chinese government's widespread campaign to punish
and silence Tibetan voices of dissent.
