Geneva, 20 Feb 2018- A week before the opening of 37th UN Human Rights Council session, Golog Jigme, Tibetan human rights activist and escaped Tibetan documentary film maker, addressed the 10th Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.

Addressing the summit, Golog Jigme reminded the audience that this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the 2008 widespread protests in Tibet. To mark the historic year of 2008 mass protest in Tibet, Dhondup Wangchen, with whom he made the documentary film, escaped from Tibet a few months ago, “should be addressing the gathering” if his traveling documents hadn’t been an issue said Golog Jigme.

The double standard in what China preaches and what China does in Tibet urged “me to make the film that could exposed the true situation inside Tibet” added Golog Jigme. He also warned UN diplomats, human rights defenders and organizations that “it is high time to have consistent and concert efforts to safeguard the basic principle of human rights” before China hijacks and jeopardize the “universality of human rights with its economic influence”.

The session moderated by Yang Jianli, Chinese dissident, survivor of Tiananmen Square massacre and the president of Initiative for China also includes speaker from Hong Kong, Lam Wing-Kee, Hong Kong bookseller and pro-democracy activist, abducted by China for selling banned book in late 2015.

Golog Jigme recounted the mental torment that he had been subjected when the Chinese authorities forced him to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration and the Tibetan Youth Congress. He was also forced to “admit and declare that 2008 wide spread protests in Tibet were a violent act”; Golog Jigme defied all Chinese accusations, fearlessly.

In lead up to the Geneva Summit, in a private meeting with UN Diplomats held yesterday with other guest speakers at the Office of Permanent Mission of Canada, Golog Jigme briefed the diplomats about how he was subjected to physical and mental torture while in Chinese prison. He urged the diplomats to engage with China and make China accountable for the deteriorating human rights situation in Tibet.

Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is sponsored by a coalition of 25 international human rights defenders’ NGOs, including Switzerland based Tibetan Women Association. Around 300 audiences from different spectrum including UN diplomats, representatives of International human rights NGOs, activist and defenders are gathered to hear the personal story of “human rights heroes”.

Besides Golog Jigme, representing Tibet, other guest speakers represent Turkey, Iran, Russia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Uganda, North Korea and other countries.

Office of Tibet, Geneva, Switzerland based Tibetan Women Association, one of the co-sponsors of the summit and UN & Human Rights Desk, DIIR jointly coordinated the representation of Tibet and Tibetan people’s voices at the summit.

Kalden Tsomo, head of UN and Human Rights Desk of Department of Information and International Relations (DIIR) of Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), provided simultaneous english translation for Golog Jigme’s address made in Tibetan language.

 – Report filed by Office of Tibet, Geneva –