China is ripping children from their roots. On International Mother Language Day, 21 February, join us for a live expert panel on China’s colonial boarding schools in Tibet, East Turkistan and Southern Mongolia.

Panel Featuring:

Lhadon Tethong.

Lhadon is an award-winning activist and leader in the Tibetan freedom movement who has been organizing and strategizing for Tibet almost all her life. In 2009, she co-founded Tibet Action Institute with a vision of combining cutting-edge technology with strategic nonviolence to design strategies and carry out innovative programs that advance human rights and freedom in Tibet.

Elfidar Iltebir

Elfidar Iltebir is the President of the Uyghur American Association (UAA). Originally from Urumchi, East Turkistan, she immigrated to the United States in 2000. Iltebir earned a B.A. in Marketing from George Mason University and brings over two decades of expertise in marketing and project management. As the daughter of a distinguished Uyghur writer and journalist, she actively engages with and supports the Uyghur community, advocating fervently for human rights. Iltebir has provided crucial insights and testimonies at UN side events, as well as various branches of the Government, including House and Senate committees focused on human rights. Beyond her advocacy work, she commits herself to spreading awareness in universities and faith institutions across the U.S.

Enghebatu Togochog

Born in Southern Mongolia, Enghebatu Togochog came to the United States in 1998. In 2001, He established the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center (SMHRIC), a New York based human rights organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the rights of the Mongolian people in Southern Mongolia. Currently he is the Director of the SMRHIC and the chief editor of the organizational newsletter “Southern Mongolia Watch”. He has testified on human rights conditions of Southern Mongolia before the US Congressional Executive Commission on China, United Nations Human Rights Council, United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, United Nations Forum on Minority Issues, United Nations Committee Against Torture, and European Parliament. His work include the translation of “Way Out of Southern Mongolia” and “Genocide on the Mongolian Steppe”.

This panel will be moderated by SFT’s Campaigns Director, Chemi Lhamo.