Transforming our world
through nonviolent action
through nonviolent action
In December of 2022, I sat down to write my first End of Year Letter, a tradition passed down from Executive Directors before me. I was sitting at the same desk I am at now, writing to you all, when I was overcome with a sense of responsibility. I spent a lot of my time reflecting on what makes SFT… SFT!
For the next two months, I remember rushing out of the frigid New York City winter and running up the stairs into the familiar warmth of our scrappy little office. Our mismatched donated desks and Thermo Fisher posters sprawled across the table. Day by day, there would be little stacks of envelopes with responses to the End of Year mailouts—donations, messages of support, gestures of solidarity that reminded me: we are in this together.
Today, I am writing my final letter to you as Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. And before anything else, I want to thank you for your support, your trust, and your commitment to this movement.
If you’ve ever stood in the cold at a protest, stayed up late organizing with people you barely knew, or refused to accept that oppression is permanent, then you already understand why Students for a Free Tibet exists. Whether you attended an Action Camp in 2005 or 2025, your solidarity and action for Tibet are the very pen and paper that have written SFT’s story.
That story is opening a new chapter in the coming days, and we need your support now more than ever.
As the Chinese government continues its mission to wipe Tibet off the map, SFT activists are fighting back—on campuses, in museums, at the UN, and everywhere in between. In 2026, SFT is entering our next chapter with bold youth-led activism, constantly innovating and adapting to counter China’s next move. But at our core, we are still grounded in the very same values that brought all of you into this movement in the first place: courage, hope, solidarity, and a refusal to accept injustice.
As this year comes to a close, for one last time, I am asking each and every one of you to renew your commitment to Tibet by making a year-end gift to Students for a Free Tibet. Your support directly sustains the organizing, training, research, and rapid-response actions that keep Tibet in focus.
If you believe that the long arc of the universe bends towards justice, if you believe that Tibet will be free, then together, we can power the next chapter of SFT’s fight for Tibet.
Thank you for standing with Tibet. Thank you for standing with this movement. And thank you for the trust you have placed in me over the years to be a small part of SFT’s story.
I hope to see you all one day soon in a free Tibet.
In solidarity,
Pema Doma
Executive Director
SFT is seeking a dedicated and organized Office Manager to join our team in New York City. The ideal candidate will be a highly motivated team player with a positive attitude, strong time management skills, and the ability to manage multiple projects. This role involves fulfilling various administrative duties, managing financial records under the supervision of the Operations Manager, overseeing merchandise inventory, and ensuring the smooth operation of the office. This role is a great opportunity to be part of a creative, strategic, and dynamic organization at the forefront of Tibet’s non-violent struggle for freedom! University students and recent grads seeking part-time employment are encouraged to apply.
ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
Preferred: Prior administrative work experience, prior experience with Shopify, familiarity with Google Workspace (Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc), and basic proficiency in the Tibetan language is a plus. Candidates with any level of basic experience with accounting will be given preference.
REQUIREMENTS
EDUCATION
ORGANIZATIONAL EXPECTATIONS
About Students for a Free Tibet:
Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is a creative, strategic, and dynamic organization at the forefront of Tibet’s non-violent struggle for freedom. We are a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world. Through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action, we campaign for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom. Our mission is to empower and train youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice.
2024 was a step into a new era for the Tibetan Freedom Movement and for SFT.
For over 65 years, Tibetans inside Tibet have resisted every attempt by the Chinese government to destroy their sense of self. Today, the CCP considers nothing off-limits in their attempts to “sinicize” Tibet. From stealing a generation of Tibetan children to washing away sacred sites, China is trying everything to eradicate the Tibetan nation completely.
But Tibetans inside Tibet and Tibet activists across the world continue to step up and meet the moment in powerful, defiant, creative ways. Flip through the pages of our End of Year magazine, and learn more about some of the ways SFT activists from Dharamshala to New York—and everywhere in between—fought for Tibet this year.
From 2024, SFT takes forward a thriving, activated international grassroots network, unprecedented campaign wins, and clear goals yet to be achieved. Join SFT in 2025 and take action! Get involved by getting in touch with your local chapter or SFT HQ.
Check it out here!
BREAKING: Over 50 international human rights NGOs have come together to condemn transnational repression in a powerful joint statement!
On the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s founding, activists, advocates, and researchers across the world have come together to send a clear message:
No government should be allowed to silence, intimidate, or harass activists and communities fighting for freedom and human rights abroad.
From the bastions of the international human rights world like Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, and Amnesty International, to local chapters of diaspora groups, the international community has come together to show that the CCP’s transnational repression is in the spotlight, and we will fight back against it at every turn.
While the PRC celebrates 75 years of occupation, colonization, and genocide, Students for a Free Tibet and the Hong Kong Democracy Council are proud to have organized this critical effort to bring together our allies in our global fight for human rights and justice.
Read the full statement and learn more about this collective action—and the urgent need to stop transnational repression:
We stand together with dissidents against the long arm of authoritarian governments around the world. As organizations committed to protecting civil liberties, we, the undersigned, pledge to remain vigilant through education and advocacy to combat the growing threat of transnational repression.
In recent years, authoritarian leaders around the world have intensified their efforts to silence criticism and intimidate critics abroad. These heinous actions are designed to restrict human rights such as the freedoms of speech and expression, even in countries like the United States where these rights are typically safeguarded; they undermine the rule of law globally and threaten the integrity of democratic countries. As always, human-rights defenders and members of the media face the greatest danger, with women particularly vulnerable to additional gender-based violence in the context of transnational repression.
One disturbing example occurred on the streets of San Francisco in November 2023, when Hong Kong, Tibetan, Uyghur, and mainland Chinese protesters gathered to oppose the Chinese leader Xi Jinping during the APEC Summit. As documented by a recent report jointly published by the Hong Kong Democracy Council and Students for a Free Tibet — followed by a Washington Post investigation — harassment, intimidation, surveillance, and physical violence were orchestrated by groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party. Even consular personnel were seen on the ground. We urge the U.S. State Department to consider elevating this as a diplomatic incident and the Justice Department to consider bringing federal charges against those who were responsible. Congress should likewise consider passing relevant new legislation to deter future episodes.
Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate with affected communities to raise public awareness of the tactics employed by governments that extend their reach abroad. We will persist in highlighting instances where authoritarian states and their non-state allies engage in these activities. We will develop and strengthen mechanisms that identify perpetrators responsible for transnational repression. Most importantly, with the urgency and gravity that this issue demands, we will make transnational repression a priority in our discussions with policymakers to encourage a strong, robust response.
We will always support individuals on the receiving end of transnational repression.
Signatories:
International Nonprofit Organizations
Advocacy and Community Organizations
