July 21, 2020
Representative Ngodup Tsering and staff with Tawu Lobsang Jinpa and Kunchok Gyaltsen.
Washington DC: Representative Ngodup Tsering and staff received a former political prisoner Tawu Lobsang Jinpa on Monday morning at the Office of Tibet-DC. Tawu Lobsang la started his 530-mile bike ride (the “Bike Ride 4 Tibet” campaign) from Boston to Washington-DC, nearly two weeks ago to raise awareness about the oppressive conditions in Tibet under the Chinese Communist Party. Tawu Lobsang has stopped in the states of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, and the last leg was in DC. On Sunday, members of the Capital Area Tibetan Association Board and the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress joined him from the Chinese Embassy to the White House.
Tawu Lobsang la is a former political prisoner in Tibet. He was imprisoned for more than two years for filming the 2008 protests in Kham Tawu. He is riding his bicycle to Washington, D.C., the last leg of his four-state journey, in order to (1) raise awareness about the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama and call for his immediate release; (2) demand the release of the countless political prisoners in Tibet including the six Tibetans from his hometown, whose names you’ll find below; (3) demand an investigation into the disappearance of political activists in Tibet; and (4) call on the Chinese government to invite His Holiness the Dalai Lama to return to his home in Tibet.
Political Prisoners in Lobsang’s home town of Tawu:
- Lama Gendun Nawang (Imprisoned for 12 and ½ years)
- Changchun Dorjee (Imprisoned for 8 years)
- Tsewang Choephel (Sentenced to 8 years)
- Jampa Gelek (Sentenced to 5 years)
- Bhumean Chaklen (Sentenced to 5 years)
- Tashi Choeyang (Sentenced to 6 years)
Tawu Lobsang said the Chinese Communist Party is doing everything to destroy the unique Tibetan identity and culture, and he urged all Tibetans NGOs to initiate a more active role in campaigning against the PRC’s repressive policy.
Representative Tsering thanked Tawu Lobsang and his friend Kunchok Gyaltsen on behalf of the Office of Tibet-DC for initiating this awareness campaign and sacrificing their own safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Representative Tsering asked him to report detailed information about the above six political prisoners from his home town of Tawu and stressed the importance of participating in hearings on Tibet held in the US congress.
-Filed by Office of Tibet, Washington DC
Representative Ngodup Tsering thank Tawu Lobsang Jinpa and his friend Kunchok Gyaltsen by offering a traditional khatak.
Representative Ngodup Tsering and staff with Tawu Lobsang Jinpa and Kunchok Gyaltsen.
