Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile calls on UN to help release of arrested Tibetan filmmaker[Saturday, 1 August 2009, 5:22 p.m].

Dhondup Wangchen

Dharamshala: The
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile has sought the help of the United Nations
to engage the Chinese government in facilitating the immediate release
of an arrested Tibetan filmmaker whose case is known to be heard today
by a court in Siling in Tibet (Ch:Xining, incorporated into China’s
Qinghai Province).Dhondup Wangchen, a 35-year-old Tibetan and
his assistant Golok Jigme or Jigme Gyatso, a Tibetan monk of Labrang
Monastery, were arrested by Chinese authorities in March 2008 for
making “Leaving Fear Behind”
– a film shot in Tibet detailing lives of the Tibetan people under
China’s rule, views about His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Beijing
Olympics.In a letter to Mrs Navanethem Pillay, the chief of
United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights dated 1 August, the
Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile said: “The Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile
request you to kindly intervene to provide immediate medical assistance assistance and unconditional release of Dhondup Wangchen, an amateur Tibetan filmmaker. He is seriously ill and isreportedly being tried today in Siling for allegedly inciting separatism.”The Tibetan Parliament said “recording people’s views on a particular issue does not undermine any Chinese law.”The
Tibetan Parliament expressed its concern that the Chinese government
has barred Dhondup Wangchen from meeting with his family members,
including four children, who are residing in India.“We urge you
to take this matter with the Chinese authorities immediately and in
earnest,” the Tibetan Parliament said in the letter.The
Tibetans living in exile and Tibetan supporters across the globe have
stepped up peaceful campaigns for the release of Dhondup Wangchen, who
is believed to be in poor health condition.A copy of the letter was forwarded to Ms Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International, Geneva.