CHINA DEPORTS TEN TIBET SUPPORTERS DURING OLYMPICS CLOSING CEREMONY

Students for a Free Tibet activists worldwide welcome the news of the release of the ten Tibet supporters, jailed by Chinese authorities in Beijing during the Olympics. Chinese authorities deported eight American Tibet supporters as the Olympics closing ceremonies were concluding on Sunday night in Beijing. Hours later, the remaining two Tibet supporters in detention – a Briton and a German National of Tibetan descent – were also deported.

“After two days of negative publicity over its extrajudicial detention of ten Tibet supporters, the Chinese government is seeking to suppress a story that would have cast a shadow over the closing ceremony of these Olympic Games, which includes a final propaganda push to legitimize China’s rule in Tibet, with Tibetans singing and dancing along with other so-called “ethnic minorities,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet.

For Immediate Release: Eight Tibet Supporters Arrive Home to New York from Beijing After Being Jailed by Chinese Authorities During Olympic Games

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—Monday, August 25, 2008
Contacts: In New York-Celia Alario, +1917 289 0219; Amy Lisbeth +1 917 860 6470; In UK-Han Shan and Tenzin Dorjee +44 7767 083768 or +44 7876 327143
JOURNALISTS, ARTIST AND ACTIVISTS WILL HOLD PRESS AVAILABILITY MONDAY 1PM ON FRONT STEPS OF NY CITY HALL
(Immediately Following Press Conference by Reporters [...]

For Immediate Release: China Deports Eight Americans

Students for a Free Tibet activists worldwide welcome the news of the release of eight American Tibet supporters jailed by Chinese authorities in Beijing during the Olympics. Students for a Free Tibet calls for the immediate release of Briton Mandie Mckeown and Tibetan-German Florian Norbu Gyanatshang, who have been held since early morning on August 21st.

“After two days of negative publicity over its extrajudicial detention of ten Tibet supporters, the Chinese government is seeking to suppress a story that would have cast a shadow over the closing ceremony of these Olympic Games, which includes a final propaganda push to legitimize China’s rule in Tibet, with Tibetans singing and dancing along with other so-called “ethnic minorities,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet.

Ten Foreign Tibet Supporters Remain Jailed in China on Eve of Olympics Closing - SFT Calls for Immediate Release of all Peaceful Dissenters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 24, 2008
Contacts:
In Asia: Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director, and Kate Woznow, Campaigns Director,
+66 846 517 681 or +1 917 289 0219
Ten Foreign Tibet Supporters Remain Jailed in China on Eve of Olympics Closing
SFT Calls for Immediate Release of all Peaceful Dissenters
***Photos and bios available at http://freetibet2008.org/globalactions/beijing10
STATEMENT
As the 2008 Olympics come to a [...]

FREE TIBET CAMPAIGNERS SPEAK OUT IN BEIJING

Beijing – Two members of Students for a Free Tibet held an open-air press conference in Beijing today at 2:35 pm outside the Jianguomenwai diplomatic compound. Briton Alice Speller, 25, and American Ginger Cassady, 30, spoke for ten minutes and answered questions from journalists. The press conference capped two and a half weeks of protests by Tibetans and their supporters in Beijing and a seven-year global campaign since Beijing’s Olympic bid to make China’s ongoing and brutal occupation of Tibet a critical issue for the current and future Chinese leadership. READ MORE HERE

TIBETAN MAN AND THREE SUPPORTERS DETAINED AFTER BEIJING PROTEST - AUGUST 21, 2008

INTENSIVE SURVEILLANCE FAILS TO PREVENT ACTION FOR TIBET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 21, 2008
Contacts: In Asia, Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director, and Kate Woznow, Campaigns Director, +1 917 289 0219 or +44 20 7084 6245
**Bios and photos of the activists available at http://freetibet2008.org/globalactions/tibetanflag
Beijing – After intense surveillance by up to 50 plainclothes police, a Tibetan-German man and [...]

CITIZEN JOURNALISTS, VIDEOBLOGGERS, ACTIVISTS DETAINED IN BEIJING SIX DETAINED SINCE EARLY MORNING, AUGUST 19TH

Beijing - Brian Conley, creator of the well-known videoblog “Alive in Baghdad” was detained with his friend, Jeffrey Rae, early Tuesday, August 19th in Beijing. Their detention appears to have taken place at the same time as that of international artist James Powderly, whose detention was reported Tuesday. Three other bloggers and activists, Jeff Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant, have also been missing since Tuesday morning. Conley, 28, Rae, 28, Goldin, 40, Liss, 35, Grant, 39 are all American citizens.

The five “citizen journalists” and activists were in Beijing to support and promote human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom for the Tibetan people. They and numerous others have acted as an independent media centre for the dozens of pro-Tibet activists in Beijing who have sought to draw attention to the Chinese government’s occupation of during the Olympics. Rae and Conley shot and released online high-resolution photographs and footage of the recent protest by Students for a Free Tibet supporters at the Chinese Ethnic Culture Park.

Photo of “Ethnic Park” Protest taken by detainee Jeffrey Rae



Learn more about these detentions…

BRIGHT LIGHTS SPELL OUT “FREE TIBET” ON BANNER IN BEIJING

Five pro-Tibet activists unfurled a banner spelling out “Free Tibet” in English and Chinese in bright blue LED “throwie” lights in Beijing’s Olympic Park tonight. The five were detained by security personnel after displaying the banner for about 20 seconds at 11:48 pm August 19th. Their whereabouts are unknown.

Read more about this protest…

International Artist Detained in Beijing for Planning Pro-Tibet Free Speech Exhibit Students for a Free Tibet Notified of Detention by Twitter Message

Beijing – Internationally known artist, technologist and co-founder of the Graffiti Research Lab, James Powderly, was detained in Beijing early this morning while preparing to debut a new work and technology of protest, the L.A.S.E.R. Stencil. According to a “twitter” message received today by Students for a Free Tibet at approximately 5 pm Beijing Standard Time, Powderly had been detained by Chinese authorities at 3 am. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

The work, “The Green Chinese Lantern,” uses a 400 milliwatt handheld green laser with micro-stencils to beam simple messages and images up to three stories high on surfaces such as billboards, buildings, and bridges. The Laser Stencil technology was developed in conjunction with Students for a Free Tibet.

View all photos and updates at http://freetibet2008.org/globalactions/jamespowderly/

PRO-TIBET ACTIVISTS HANG BANNER OUTSIDE BEIJING CCTV HEADQUARTERS

With the help of three support people, two pro-Tibet activists rapelled from the top of a large Olympic billboard and unfurled a 375 square foot/115 square meter banner in front of Chinese state television’s new headquarters in Beijing early this morning.

The activists dropped the banner, which read “Free Tibet” in English and Chinese, over an Olympics billboard reading “Beijing 2008” at 5:45 am Beijing time. Chinese security officials gathered quickly outside the China Central Television (CCTV) building. After approximately 30 minutes, officials detained the five activists, whose current whereabouts are unknown.

The two climbers were Nicole Rycroft, 41, a Canadian-Australian from Vancouver, BC, Canada and Philip Kirk, 24, a British citizen from Hertfordshire, UK. They were supported by Americans Bianca Bockman, 27, from Hoboken, New Jersey, Sam Maron, 22, from Ossining, New York, and Kelly Osborne, 39, from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA. See more detailed bios below.

For more information including photos, video, and bios of activists, click here.

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