Free Tibetan Filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen

Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen is serving a six-year prison sentence in China for "subversion of state power" because he dared to speak out about the human rights situation in Tibet through his filmmaking.China has detained hundreds of Tibetans for peacefully exercising their human rights or for taking part in protests since 2008. Recently, Tibetan activists have set themselves on fire in protest of restrictions on basic freedoms and punitive security measures. The Chinese government has responded to the protests with mass arrests, imprisonment, and possible killings by security forces.Dhondup Wangchen (1974) and Jigme Gyatso, a Tibetan monk, made the film Leaving Fear Behind, gathering interviews from 108 Tibetan individuals. With the global spotlight on China as it rises to host the Olympics, these Tibetans wish to tell the world of their plight and their heartfelt grievances against Chinese rule. The footage was smuggled out of Tibet under extraordinary circumstances. The filmmakers were detained soon after sending their tapes out.Please call on the Chinese authorities to release Dhondup Wangchen immediately and unconditionally.