Activists demand release of imprisoned Tibetan buddhist leader
Los Angeles – Ten weeks before a prominent Tibetan Buddhist teacher could be executed for crimes he did not commit, Tibetans and supporters shall target seventeen Chinese government offices with protests demanding the release of the religious leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. On Monday January 26th 2004 from 2pm-6pm UC Santa Barbara chapter of Students for a Free Tibet, Los Angeles Friends of Tibet, Orange County Friends of Tibet, Santa Barbara Friends of Tibet and San Diego Friends of Tibet shall be staging a demonstration in front of the Los Angeles Chinese Consulate on 443 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, California. SFT shall be protesting in full force at the consulate and shall perform a mock execution and shall end the protest with a candle lit vigil.
“Tenzin Delek Rinpoche is innocent, and we demand that his death sentence be overturned,” said Tenzin Dorjee a member of the University of California Santa Barbara chapter of Students for a Free Tibet. “Until he is free, the Chinese government can expect to have activists sending thousands of emails and faxes, hanging banners from their buildings, and demonstrating outside their offices, exposing their unjust persecution of Tibetans on the world stage.”
Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was arrested in April 2002 for alleged involvement in a series of explosions in eastern Tibet. He, along with Lobsang Dhondup, was sentenced to death in December of that year. Both men were denied access to lawyers, and no evidence of their guilt was ever publicly put forth. Rinpoche is known for his efforts to protect the environment and promote Tibetan culture and religion. A supporter of the Dalai Lama, he has established numerous schools, orphanages, and monasteries in his home region of Lithang, eastern Tibet (Chinese: Sichuan Province), and is beloved in his community for his dedication to social welfare.
“Tenzin Delek Rinpoche has devoted his life to helping his community, yet the Chinese government accuses him of terrorism,” said Lhadon Tethong, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Chinas persecution of this man shows their desperation to control and subjugate the Tibetan people, and only strengthens our determination to fight for justice for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and all Tibetans.”
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. A chapter-based network of more than 650 schools worldwide, SFT campaigns for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action.
Contact: Miguel Mendoza, 805.252.7140
