Celebrating Human Rights Day With Tibetan Film Maker Dhondup Wangchen – Students for a Free Tibet
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Celebrating Human Rights Day With Tibetan Film Maker Dhondup Wangchen

January 9, 2024

Dhondup Wangchen

AMPLIFY Tibetan heroes!

Dhondup Wangchen was tortured for over seven years in Chinese prison for filming the documentary Leaving Fear Behind, ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

His documentary interviewed 108 Tibetans inside of Tibet and captured the continued defiance of the Tibetan people against their Chinese occupiers just as the world turned to consider China a member of the international community.

After his release, he made the difficult and dangerous decision to escape Tibet in 2017 and since then has been dedicated to sharing his story and the plight of the Tibetan people under Chinese occupation to the world.

Thank you to Dhondup Wangchen for joining us this Human Rights Day for this insightful discussion. It has now been 15 years since Jigdrel, Leaving Fear Behind, was released, thank you for reminding us all of our shared responsibility to speak out for Tibet!

Thank you to the Danang Himalayan Center for allowing us to use this space and to our wonderful English translator Rinchen la. As well to all those who were in attendance today in person and online.

Shout out to @sft_chicago for hosting a live screening of our screening. And taking the initiative to bring their voices to the conversation.

If you are a student, professor, or community organizer that is interested in amplifying Dhondup Wangchen’s story and screening his documentary or hosting an event on campus, please email: grassroots@studentsforafreetibet.org