International Day of Action for Tibet/ENG

2012. február 7./ICT/TibetPress

Where: Embassy of the People’s Republic of China, 3505 International Place, NW, Washington, DC 20008 (nearest Metro location: Van Ness UDC)

Date and Time: Wednesday, February 08, 2012, 10:00 am to 3:00 pm

The International Campaign for Tibet, an international NGO working for human rights and democratic freedoms in Tibet, is standing with the Tibetan people at this time of crisis and Chinese aggression against unarmed protestors in Tibet.  Since February 2009, 20 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, calling out for freedom and for the long life and return of the Dalai Lama to Tibet.  Twelve are known to have died.  In several incidents in recent days, Tibetan protestors have been fired on and some killed by police, drawing further attention to what increasingly appears to be a continuation of popular challenges to Chinese rule or mis-rule in Tibet that has spread across Tibet since March 2008.  

In response to the crisis, Tibetans and supporters outside Tibet are coming together to:

(1) Stand with the Tibetans inside Tibet against the violent response by Chinese armed police to peaceful protestors; and

(2) Build popular and governmental support around the world for a solution in Tibet based on the consent of the governed.  
 
The International Campaign for Tibet wishes to remind Chinese leaders, especially Vice President Xi Jinping who will meet with U.S. leaders, including President Obama, on February 14, and those Chinese who will host the 7th EU-China Summit on or near the same date in Beijing, that western democracies have embraced dialogue between the Chinese leadership and the Dalai Lama or his representatives as the way forward in Tibet.

Governments of the United States, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and numerous parliamentarians around the world, have strongly and publicly condemned the human rights violations and Chinese crackdown in Tibet, and urged dialogue with the Tibetans, and open access to Tibet for international monitors.   

Richard Gere, Chairman of ICT’s Board of Directors said, “The Chinese misrule that has lead to the recent wave of self-immolations in Tibet is a profound challenge to the conscience of China and the whole world. Religious freedom and the very survival of their culture are the issues. Until Chinese authorities engage the legitimate underlying grievances of the Tibetan people- with the Tibetans themselves, the immolations and the Chinese government's reactive repression will no doubt continue. It is in the best interest of all parties that the Chinese authorities rethink their counter-productive policies in Tibet and understand there is a positive way forward. It's not too late.”

The International Campaign for Tibet invites friends of peace and justice everywhere to stand with the Tibetan people and join us in a global vigil.