By: Priscila Néri, Posted: Aug 27 08

Regions: Asia, China

Issues: Arbitrary arrest, Freedom of opinion & expression, Freedom of religion & belief

Tags: Beijing Olympics, china, Dalai Lama, Editor's Pick, political prisoner, tibet

UPDATE - October 15, 2008: After seven months of detention, filmmaker and Buddhist monk Golog Jigme has just been released from prison, according to a statement just released by Filming For Tibet, the company that produced Leaving Fear Behind. The statement goes on to say that Jigme was "severely tortured after his arrest in March 2008" and "fainted several times (during interrogations) due to the beatings." He is now back at the Labrang Tashikyil monastery in the Gansu province. Dhondup Wangchen is still in detention and there is no news on his pending trial. Read the full statement here.
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During the Beijing Olympics, several protesters were detained or imprisoned by the Chinese police (including Hub collaborator Brian Conley). But while the world focused on the Games, one remarkable film is bringing the voices of ordinary Tibetans to the world. In the words of Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, "it is very difficult [for Tibetans] to go to Beijing and speak out. That is why we decided to show the real feelings of Tibetans." To make &quot Leaving Fear Behind", Dhondup and fellow Tibetan Golog Jigme interviewed over 100 Tibetans about religious and political oppression, collecting more than 40 hours of testimonies throughout Tibet.

Shortly after concluding the filming of the documentary, Dhondup and Golog were arrested. They have now been missing since late March. In July, the family received word that the filmmakers had been "severely tortured" for "at least five days".  Since then, their whereabouts have remained unknown.  The film was edited and completed by Gyaljong Tsertin, who now lives in Switzerland and is working to draw attention to the case.   

On the closing Sunday of the Games, Dhondup's wife, Lhamo-Tso, wrote a letter to International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge to express her "desperation and sorrow" and urge the IOC to pressure China to remain "true to its promise of freedom of expression".  "Their crime was to film Tibetans' peaceful expression of their views on the XXIX Olympic Games," she says.

Take action to demand the immediate release of Dhondup and Golog.

NOTE: Making the views and faces of ordinary Tibetans public can pose considerable risk to those individuals. WITNESS took several steps to ensure that publishing these suppressed voices was in keeping with our core values as a human rights organization, including addressing the potential security risks involved. To understand the steps we took to address these concerns, read Priscila Neri's short blog post.