March 10th: Cuba and Tibet's shared day of tragedy

 We remember

Tibetan national uprising crushed, Cuban democracy destroyed.

Notwithstanding our dissimilar histories and religious practices, Cubans and Tibetans have two things in common which unite us in our misery. For both countries, March 10th is a somber day. March 10th is a day for sad reflection despite being seven years apart.

Since the early 1950s, both peoples have endured oppression, and more than 70 years later, they are still fighting for the restoration of freedom. In 1949, China adopted a communist government and soon started claiming Tibet as its own. In 1950, Communist China invaded and occupied Tibet.  

   

Up until March 10, 1952, when Fulgencio Batista ousted the democracy in a coup d'état against the last democratically elected president, Carlos Prio Socarras, within days of free elections, Cuba was a free and independent nation with a constitutional democracy. Hence, the last free election in Cuba was held in 1950.

The irony is that Fulgencio Batista's destruction of Cuba's democracy set the stage for Fidel Castro to seize power seven years later, despite Batista's claims that he staged the coup to avert a severe dictatorship.  

Both Cubans and Tibetans saw 1959 as a chance to restore democracy and achieve freedom. Instead, despotism consolidated its power.

 

The Cuban nightmare began amidst the hope on January 1, 1959 that the departure of Fulgencio Batista into exile would mean a democratic restoration and an end to authoritarian tyranny instead it was the beginning of a new totalitarian communist tyranny headed by Fidel Castro. 

Cloaking itself in the legitimacy of nationalism and anti-Americanism it justified the systematic denial of human rights in the rhetoric of anti-imperialism and the “Yankee threat.”

Tibetan hopes that a national uprising that erupted in Lhasa on March 10, 1959 would drive the Chinese occupiers out of their homeland. Instead His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee to India to avoid imprisonment or assassination as the Chinese communists crushed the uprising.

 

The Castro regime claim of "anti-imperialism" proved hollow and history demonstrated that it was conditioned upon ideology. This was witnessed with the Castro regime’s support of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 are high profile examples.

The same holds true for Tibet. Fidel Castro in his March 31, 2008 “reflection” titled “The Chinese Victory” denies that Tibet was ever independent justifying and defending the Chinese occupation of that small country. It is a shameful rewriting of history.

 

On July 1, 2020 the Cuban dictatorship introduced the  resolution at the UN Human Rights Council praising China for the passing of the Hong Kong National Security Law that ended freedom in Hong Kong. 
 

With Russia's ongoing aggression against its neighbors, the Castro dictatorship has carried on this tradition to the present day.

Vladimir Putin's attacks against Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014 and the eight years long low intensity war in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine, and the February 24, 2022, multi-pronged Russian invasion of Ukraine were all acts of aggression in violation of international law.

The Russian dictator's repeated aggressions were all backed by Cuba.

Both the Castro regime and the Chinese communists must be held accountable for their many crimes, their hypocrisy on the issue of imperialism, and the historical facts they have sought to disappear must be shared widely.

65 years ago today, the Tibetan people rose up

Thanks to their bravery, the Tibetan cause is alive & strong to this day

On this #TibetanUprisingDay, we honor the resistance & resilience of the Tibetan people

After 65 years, it's time to #ResolveTibet➡️ https://t.co/YVMP2eqfyS pic.twitter.com/AmDekDEVCv

— International Campaign for Tibet (@SaveTibetOrg) March 10, 2024

Tibetans, today, March 10th, reflect on the 65th anniversary of their national uprising against the occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China, and recommit to their struggle for freedom.

At the same time, today, March 10, is a significant day for Cubans to recall the ways in which Fulgencio Batista destroyed their democracy and the ways in which those effects continue to impact Cuba today.

#TheyAreContinuity #TheyAreDictators ( #SomosContinuidad #SonDictadores)

 

Therefore on this day let us call for Freedom for Cuba and Tibet!

March 10th: Cuba and Tibet's shared day of tragedy

We remember

Tibetan national uprising crushed, Cuban democracy destroyed.

Notwithstanding our dissimilar histories and religious practices, Cubans and Tibetans have two things in common which unite us in our misery. For both countries, March 10th is a somber day. March 10th is a day for sad reflection despite being seven years apart.

Since the early 1950s, both peoples have endured oppression, and more than 70 years later, they are still fighting for the restoration of freedom. In 1949, China adopted a communist government and soon started claiming Tibet as its own. In 1950, Communist China invaded and occupied Tibet. 

Up until March 10, 1952, when Fulgencio Batista ousted the democracy in a coup d'état against the last democratically elected president, Carlos Prio Socarras, within days of free elections, Cuba was a free and independent nation with a constitutional democracy. Hence, the last free election in Cuba was held in 1950.

The irony is that Fulgencio Batista's destruction of Cuba's democracy set the stage for Fidel Castro to seize power seven years later, despite Batista's claims that he staged the coup to avert a severe dictatorship.  

Both Cubans and Tibetans saw 1959 as a chance to restore democracy and achieve freedom. Instead, despotism consolidated its power.

 

The Cuban nightmare began amidst the hope on January 1, 1959 that the departure of Fulgencio Batista into exile would mean a democratic restoration and an end to authoritarian tyranny instead it was the beginning of a new totalitarian communist tyranny headed by Fidel Castro. 

Cloaking itself in the legitimacy of nationalism and anti-Americanism it justified the systematic denial of human rights in the rhetoric of anti-imperialism and the “Yankee threat.”

Tibetan hopes that a national uprising that erupted in Lhasa on March 10, 1959 would drive the Chinese occupiers out of their homeland. Instead His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee to India to avoid imprisonment or assassination as the Chinese communists crushed the uprising.

 

 

The Castro regime claim of "anti-imperialism" proved hollow and history demonstrated that it was conditioned upon ideology. This was witnessed with the Castro regime’s support of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and later its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. 

The same holds true for Tibet. Fidel Castro in his March 31, 2008 “reflection” titled “The Chinese Victory” denies that Tibet was ever independent justifying and defending the Chinese occupation of that small country. It is a shameful rewriting of history.
 

With Russia's ongoing aggressions against its neighbors, the Castro dictatorship has carried on this tradition to the present day.

Vladimir Putin's attacks against Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014 and the eight years long low intensity war in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine, and the February 24, 2022, multipronged Russian invasion of Ukraine were all acts of aggression in violation of international law.

The Russian dictator's repeated aggressions were backed by Cuba in 2008, 2014 and now in 2022. The Castro regime's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez on Putin's latest invasion of Ukraine said that Russia “has the right to defend itself.

Both the Castro regime and the Chinese communists must be held accountable for their many crimes, their hypocrisy on the issue of imperialism, and the historical facts they have sought to disappear must be shared widely. 

Tibetans, today, March 10th, reflect on the 64th anniversary of their national uprising against the occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China, and recommit to their struggle for freedom.

At the same time, today, March 10, is a significant day for Cubans to recall the ways in which Fulgencio Batista destroyed their democracy and the ways in which those effects continue to impact Cuba today.

#TheyAreContinuity #TheyAreDictators ( #SomosContinuidad #SonDictadores)

 

 

 

March 10th: Cuba and Tibet's shared day of tragedy

We Remember

Tibetan national uprising crushed by Mao, Cuban democracy destroyed by Batista

Cubans and Tibetans share two things in common despite our profoundly different histories and religious traditions that bring us together in shared misery. March 10th is a tragic day for both nations. Although separated by seven years, March 10th is a day for somber reflection.

Both peoples suffered under tyranny since the early 1950s and seven decades later continue to struggle for freedom's restoration. China became a communist regime in 1949 and immediately began asserting territorial designs on Tibet. Communist China invaded and occupied Tibet in 1950. 

 

Cuba was a free and independent republic with a constitutional democracy until March 10, 1952 when Fulgencio Batista overthrew the democracy in a coup d'état against the last democratically elected president, Carlos Prio Socarras within days of free elections. This meant that Cuba's last free election was in 1950. Batista claimed that he carried out the coup to prevent an extreme dictatorship from taking over, but the irony is that the destruction of Cuban democracy by him created the conditions for Fidel Castro to take over seven years later.

Both Cubans and Tibetans looked to 1959 as an opportunity for democratic restoration and liberation. Instead tyranny entrenched itself. 

The Cuban nightmare began amidst the hope on January 1, 1959 that the departure of Fulgencio Batista into exile would mean a democratic restoration and an end to authoritarian tyranny instead it was the beginning of a new totalitarian communist tyranny headed by Fidel Castro. 

Cloaking itself in the legitimacy of nationalism and anti-Americanism it justified the systematic denial of human rights in the rhetoric of anti-imperialism and the “Yankee threat.”

Tibetan hopes that a national uprising that erupted in Lhasa on March 10, 1959 would drive the Chinese occupiers out of their homeland. Instead His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee to India to avoid imprisonment or assassination as the Chinese communists crushed the uprising.

The Castro regime claim of "anti-imperialism" proved hollow and history demonstrated that it was conditioned upon ideology. This was witnessed with the Castro regime’s support of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and later its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. 

The same holds true for Tibet. Fidel Castro in his March 31, 2008 “reflection” titled “The Chinese Victory” denies that Tibet was ever independent justifying and defending the Chinese occupation of that small country. It is a shameful rewriting of history.

The Castro regime has continued this practice to the present day with Russia's repeated aggressions against its neighbors.

Vladimir Putin's attacks against Georgia in 2008, Crimea in 2014 and the eight years long low intensity war in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine, and the February 24, 2022, multipronged Russian invasion of Ukraine were all acts of aggression in violation of international law.

The Russian dictator's repeated aggressions were backed by Cuba in 2008, 2014 and now in 2022. The Castro regime's foreign minister Bruno Rodriguez on Putin's latest invasion of Ukraine said that Russia “has the right to defend itself.

Both the Castro regime and the Chinese communists must be held accountable for their many crimes, their hypocrisy on the issue of imperialism, and the historical facts they have sought to disappear must be shared widely. 

At the same time, today, March 10th is an important day for Cubans to remember the destruction of Cuba's democracy by Fulgencio Batista, and the consequences of that coup against the democratic order that still impact Cuba today.

RESIST CCP: Solidarity with the peoples of Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, China, Southern Mongolia and Taiwan

 "The path of least resistance leads to crooked rivers and crooked men." - Henry David Thoreau

 

This blog has stood in solidarity with and continues to be in solidarity with the aspirations of the peoples of Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, China, Southern Mongolia and Taiwan to live in freedom.

The forces of oppression have  joined together  to maintain their people subjugated and to spread their communist system of totalitarian oppression to the four corners of the world.

It was the Castro regime that led the charge in July 2020 at the UN Human Rights Council in favor of the security law that ends Hong Kong's space of freedom in the Peoples Republic of China.

I #StandWithHongKong and @CardJosephZen. #NeverGiveUp #DemocracyforHongKong pic.twitter.com/yXUE4YdLRi

— John Suarez ن (@johnjsuarez) May 22, 2020

Sadly, Chinese and Cuban people now share a common date to mourn victims of repression in their respective countries: July 13th.

On July 13, 1994 six miles off the coast from Havana, 37 men, women and children were massacred by Cuban government agents who sank the tugboat they were on and used high pressure hoses to drown them. On July 13, 2017 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo died of "multiple organ failure" while still under the custody of the Chinese communists. 

The Chinese Communist Party still refuses to apologize for the June 3rd-4th, 1989 massacre in Beijing when thousands were killed on the orders of the dictatorship.

Honored to meet Hong Kong Umbrella Movement leader Nathan Law at Tenth Interethnic Interfaith Leadership Conference pic.twitter.com/CwHkAHAkag

— John Suarez ن (@johnjsuarez) May 1, 2015

The consequences of continued one party communist rule in China are being felt around the world today due to the COVID-19 pandemic that they initially covered up, and allowed to spread.

Celebrating a Free China https://t.co/yc9nzdcLIF #Taiwan #FreeChina pic.twitter.com/qMtnkAKdEe

— John Suarez ن (@johnjsuarez) October 10, 2016

This is why now more  than ever it is important to #ResistCCP and stand with democrats and human rights defenders in Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, China, Southern Mongolia and Taiwan.

March 10th: Cuba and Tibet's shared day of tragedy

We Remember

Tibetan national uprising crushed by Mao, Cuban democracy destroyed by Batista

Cubans and Tibetans share two things in common despite our profoundly different histories and religious traditions that bring us together in shared misery. March 10th is a tragic day for both nations. Although separated by seven years, March 10th is a day for somber reflection.

Both peoples suffered under tyranny since the early 1950s and seven decades later continue to struggle for freedom's restoration. China became a communist regime in 1949 and immediately began asserting territorial designs on Tibet. Communist China invaded and occupied Tibet in 1950. 

 

Cuba was a free and independent republic with a constitutional democracy until March 10, 1952 when Fulgencio Batista overthrew the democracy in a coup d'état against the last democratically elected president, Carlos Prio Socarras within days of free elections. This meant that Cuba's last free election was in 1950. Batista claimed that he carried out the coup to prevent an extreme dictatorship from taking over, but the irony is that the destruction of Cuban democracy by him created the conditions for Fidel Castro to take over seven years later.

Both Cubans and Tibetans looked to 1959 as an opportunity for democratic restoration and liberation. Instead tyranny entrenched itself. The Cuban nightmare began amidst the hope on January 1, 1959 that the departure of Fulgencio Batista into exile would mean a democratic restoration and an end to authoritarian tyranny instead it was the beginning of a new totalitarian communist tyranny headed by Fidel Castro. Cloaking itself in the legitimacy of nationalism and anti-Americanism it justified the systematic denial of human rights in the rhetoric of anti-imperialism and the “Yankee threat.”


Tibetan hopes that a national uprising that erupted in Lhasa on March 10, 1959 would drive the Chinese occupiers out of their homeland. Instead His Holiness the Dalai Lama had to flee to India to avoid imprisonment or assassination as the Chinese communists crushed the uprising.

The Castro regime claim of "anti-imperialism" proved hollow and history demonstrated that it was conditioned upon ideology. This was witnessed with the Castro regime’s support of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and later its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. The same holds true for Tibet. Fidel Castro in his March 31, 2008 “reflection” titled “The Chinese Victory” denies that Tibet was ever independent justifying and defending the Chinese occupation of that small country. It is a shameful rewriting of history.

Both the Castro regime and the Chinese communists must be held accountable for their many crimes, their hypocrisy on the issue of imperialism, and the historical facts they have sought to disappear must be shared widely. 

At the same time, today, March 10th is an important day for Cubans to remember the destruction of Cuba's democracy by Fulgencio Batista, and the consequences of that coup against the democratic order that are still impacting Cuba today.

60th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising

In Solidarity with a Free Tibet.

Tibetans protesting Chinese occupation of Tibet in Washington DC on March 10, 2019

Today my thoughts and prayers are with the brave people of Tibet who have spent decades resisting the occupation of Communist China over their homeland. While at the same time showing their solidarity with other captive peoples, including Cubans and for that I will be eternally grateful and in solidarity with their freedom struggle. Today I also joined with Free Tibetans in protest to demand an end to the occupation of their homeland. 

Please. Friends. Let's be clear. March 10th is about freedom. Independence. Tibetans took to the streets in 1959 calling for China to leave Tibet. And again in '87, '88, '89, '92, '08.... We are marking 60 yrs of resistance to China's colonial rule. #TibetanUprising

— lhadon (@lhadon) March 8, 2019

60 years ago today a rebellion began in Tibet against the Chinese communist occupation of their homeland. Tens of thousands were slaughtered and this tragic episode is now recognized as Tibetan National Uprising Day. Below is today's statement by Tibet's President.

Lobsang Sangay, President of the Central Tibetan Administration

Statement of the President of the Central Tibetan Administration on the 60th Anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

When the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China first marched into Tibet, they promised to build “One Road” which would bring “peace and prosperity” for the Tibetan people. However, once the Road was completed, the PLA’s tanks, guns and more soldiers came and occupied the entire Tibetan Plateau.

Sixty years ago, on this very day in 1959, the Tibetan people rose up against the occupying Chinese army. With their fists raised in the air, our brothers and sisters marched together to make it clear that the Land of Snow is a Tibetan territory. “Tibet belongs to Tibetans,” they shouted. Standing steadfast in unity, they protected and ensured the safety of our root guru, our tsawai lama, His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama.

Over the last six decades, the government in Beijing has brutally repressed the Tibetan people, denied us our basic rights and has consistently pursued systematic policies to crackdown on Tibetan language, culture, unique identity, and spiritual practices. In essence, China has deliberately aimed to eradicate Tibet’s civilization from the face of this earth.

In this year’s annual report, Human Rights Watch states that the Chinese authorities have used a “nationwide anti-crime campaign to encourage people to denounce members of their communities on the slightest suspicion of sympathy” for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Furthermore, crackdown on human rights defenders has intensified in recent years. Language advocate Tashi Wangchuk is currently serving an arbitrary five-year jail sentence. His only crime was advocating for the Tibetan people’s cultural and linguistic rights as enshrined in the PRC’s own Constitution. Recently, China has also banned Tibetan children from attending informal language classes held at their local monasteries.

As a prelude to its ambition to control the global surveillance network, China uses Tibet as a testing ground for high-tech surveillance methods. Using a “grid system of social management,” the Communist Party strengthens its Orwellian control over both the electronic and physical surveillance of Tibet. Additionally, since 2008, road blocks and check points have increasingly dotted all major roads in urban areas as well as in remote areas of the Tibetan Plateau. Chinese authorities have assigned at least one officer for every 20 Tibetans in the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). 

In a dystopian world it has created, often a son is pitted against his father, a daughter against her mother, and sibling against sibling.

Commonly known as the “Third Pole”, the Tibetan Plateau holds the world’s largest reservoir of glaciers apart from the two poles. Tibet, therefore, is the source of some of the largest rivers in Asia with over one billion people depending on these waters. Consequently, rising temperatures on the high plateau endangers the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people in Asia and also negatively amplifies global climate change. China’s deeply flawed environmental policies have already turned the Tibetan Plateau into destructive mining hubs, and the unbridled damming of rivers makes the situation even more dangerous.

The assaults on Tibet and her people have always been multi-pronged. Over two million Tibetans, particularly nomads, have been forcibly removed from their ancestral land and relocated into large-scale ghettos without any alternative opportunities to lead a dignified and traditional life.

As a resentment to these harsh and repressive policies, 153 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009 with the most recent one committed by a 23-year-old man named Dopo on November 4, 2018. While committing self-immolation, the protestors have called to restore freedom for Tibetans and the return of His Holiness to Tibet.

Freedom House has listed Tibet as the world’s second least free region for the last four consecutive years. Likewise, Reporters Without Borders expressed “outrage over the systematic violation of press freedom” and has stated that it is harder for journalists to get access to Tibet than to North Korea.

My Tibetan brothers and sisters around the world, in spite of living through the darkest period in our history, we have stood together in unity and achieved a great many things against all odds. Our journey over the past six decades has also been that of hope, resilience, and resistance.

Beginning in the early 1950s in Eastern Tibet, each of China’s tyrannical policy has been met with resolute defiance. The Tibetan National Uprising in March 1959; brave resistance in prisons and concentration camps in the 1960s and 1970s; and the large-scale demonstrations in the 1980s have all shown that the Tibetan people have consistently and collectively fought for their rights, freedom, and justice. 

In 2008, the whole world witnessed a new generation of Tibetans in a nationwide uprising against the Chinese occupation and ignited a spark of unwavering courage to assert for their identity and dignity. They declared: “Our voices will not be suppressed; our commitment will not falter.” This resolute resistance continues.

Similarly, in exile, we have not only rebuilt ourselves but also become a successful and thriving community. When our grandfathers and grandmothers first arrived in India 60 years ago, their fate was uncertain and their future unknown. But under the guidance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, they re-established themselves. Shovel by shovel and brick by brick, they built schools, monasteries, nunneries, and settlements. Families formed communities to sow seeds of hope in their corn fields. Men and women renewed their skills to weave carpets and pave a better future for their children.

Through these institutions and communities, we have managed to restore and revive our language, culture and most importantly, our identity. The depth of our history, traditions, spirituality and determination enabled us to transform our narrative from that of victims to survivors. The strength of our cause and our ability to efficiently implement development programmes over the decades have won us continued support and admiration from our friends, supporters, and aid groups around the globe.  

Under His Holiness’ leadership, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has evolved into a robust democracy in exile based on the rule of law, gender equality and universal suffrage. In 2011, His Holiness devolved his political authority to a democratically-elected leader. The CTA today represents the aspirations of Tibetans inside Tibet and Tibetans-in-exile scattered over 40 countries around the world. It oversees 71 Tibetan settlements; 276 monasteries and nunneries, 68 schools – having a literacy rate higher than many countries in South-and Southeast Asia – hospitals, clinics, and old age homes. All of these institutions and centres cater to the needs of Tibetan refugees in India, Nepal, and Bhutan. Our thirteen Offices of Tibet serve as official liaison channels in as many countries.

However, our success is not confined to our communities alone. The Tibetan freedom movement has garnered insurmountable international support with Tibet Support Groups (TSGs) in 54 different countries and 40 countries hosting Parliamentary Support Groups. Today, Japan hosts the largest All-Party Parliamentary TSG comprising of 90 members. Similarly, the Czech Parliamentary Group for Tibet is the largest in Europe with over 50 representatives from both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.

In 2018, some of the most powerful Member States at the UN Human Rights Council called upon China to stop the gross human rights violations in Tibet. We are both inspired and encouraged by support for Tibet from countries like Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States at China’s Third Cycle of Universal Periodic Review.

Just as importantly, in December last year the United States took an unprecedented step by passing the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act. This bi-partisan law denies entry to America to Chinese officials deemed responsible for restricting American officials’ and journalists’ access to Tibet. The President of the United States further strengthened support for Tibet with the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act, which secures special economic support to promote and preserve Tibetan culture, education, and environmental conservation as well as sustainable development.

We are aware that the Chinese government pays only lip service to words like “co-operation” and “dialogue”. If indeed it earnestly believes that “co-operation can bring world peace,” it should renew its dialogues with the envoys of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. As we have stated repeatedly, the envoys are ready to talk and peacefully resolve the issue of Tibet through the Middle Way Approach.

Instead of looking to end the 60 years of repression in Tibet, the Chinese government has come out with a “Zero and 100 strategy.” Under this new strategy, zero news from international media and exile Tibetans will be allowed into Tibet and projects 100 percent official propaganda about Tibet to the outside world and the Tibetan community in exile. Hence, we must remain vigilant.

The Chinese government assumes that the issue of Tibet will fade with time. But our experience of over half-a-century makes us believe otherwise. The young Tibetans in Tibet experience repression and resistance, whereas, young Tibetans live in exile and learn about freedom and democracy. 

Together, the young generation in Tibet and in exile are determined in seeking truth and justice. This new generation of Tibetans is committed to preserving their unique identity and pursuing their dignity. They are prepared to carry forward the baton of the struggle until the Tibet issue is resolved. 

Ultimately, it is for the Tibetan people to decide their own destiny and that of Tibet.

To honour and offer our deep gratitude for the support we have received for the last 60 years, the Kashag dedicated 2018 as the “Year of Gratitude.” Accordingly, we began with “Thank You, India” and ended with “Thank You, America” with programmes in many other countries in between to express our profound appreciation to old and new friends of Tibet. I once again want to convey our sincere thank you to our dear friends in India and all around the world.

My friends, the tragic case of Tibet is a stark reminder of how much work is left to be done. Sixty years of the occupation of Tibet and the repression of Tibetans is far too long.

To ensure that Tibet’s freedom struggle marches forward, the Kashag today officially declares 2019 as the “Year of Commitment.” I want to call upon freedom-loving people of the world to commit to end oppression in Tibet and to commit to fight against impunity. To Tibetan people everywhere, let us continue our commitment to struggle for justice. Let us continue to strengthen our resilience so we can be united with our brothers and sisters in Tibet in freedom. Let us commit to the return of His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama to the Potala Palace in Lhasa – where he rightfully belongs.

Long Live His Holiness!

Long Live Tibet! 

Sunday March 10th is the 60th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day: Show your solidarity

In Solidarity with a Free Tibet. Protests around the world, including Washington, DC on Sunday.

Free Tibet!

Brave Tibetans have spent six decades resisting the occupation of Communist China over their homeland.  While at the same time showing their solidarity with other captive peoples, including Cubans and for that I will be eternally grateful and in solidarity with their freedom struggle.
60 years ago on March 10, 1959 a rebellion began in Tibet against the Chinese communist occupation of their homeland. Tens of thousands were slaughtered and that day is now recognized as Tibetan National Uprising Day. Students for a Free Tibet are organizing protests around the world, including Washington, DC on Sunday.

Why: In solidarity with our Tibetan brothers and sisters! 
What: 60th Anniversary of March 10 Tibetan Uprising Day 
When: Sunday, March 10, 2019 at 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM 
Where: EDT 3505 International Pl NW, Washington, DC 20008-3025

 

58th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day

In Solidarity with a Free Tibet.

 
Today my thoughts and prayers are with the brave people of Tibet who have spent decades resisting the occupation of Communist China over their homeland.  While at the same time showing their solidarity with other captive peoples, including Cubans and for that I will be eternally grateful and in solidarity with their freedom struggle. Below is today's statement by Tibet's Prime Minister.

March 10, 2017

Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay,
Prime Minister of the Central Tibetan Administration

Statement on the 58th Anniversary of Tibetan National Uprising Day:

"On this day, in 1959, Tibetans from across the social spectrum rose up to stage a defiant yet peaceful uprising against the illegal occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China. Today, as we commemorate the fifty-eighth anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, we remember and pay tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives for our nation’s struggle. Till date, an estimated million Tibetans have perished and 98% of monasteries were destroyed under the Chinese occupation."

Although, today is a time for us to mourn, however there are reasons for us to be proud and hopeful. Hopeful of the fact that on this historic day, Tibetan men and women from all three provinces marched in unison, bravely challenging Chinese invasion by raising the slogans…. “Tibet belongs to Tibetans,” and “stop interfering in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s rule,” thus making known their aspirations.

Even today, as we speak there is a major military presence in Lhasa, the capital city of Tibet, and on March 3 this year, a 5000-strong army officers with a convoy of 1000 military vehicles conducted a massive military drill in Lhasa making it reminiscent of a war zone.

Since then, despite the repression and crackdown, Tibetans in Tibet have been at the forefront of the Tibetan freedom struggle to protect their political, social, cultural and environmental rights. Despite the increased repression and intensified crackdown, they have made clear their genuine aspirations, as reflected in the case of 145 self-immolations that called for “Freedom for Tibetans” and “Return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet.”

The resilience of Tibetan people and commitment to non-violence have gained the respect, and support from around the world.

[Read the Full Statement]

Why we are protesting Raul Castro in New York City

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest." - Elie Wiesel, Nobel Lecture 1986

 

Protests on September 28th at the UN and Cuban Mission

On September 28, 2015 in New York City at the Cuban Mission to the United Nations and in front of the United Nations Cuban exiles gathered to protest Raul Castro. The question asked by many was why we were protesting?

Below is an attempt to provide a succinct answer.

1. After 56 years of totalitarian dictatorship that has wrecked the country Cubans would like a government that respects human rights and consults the Cuban people in fair, multiparty elections with international supervision. Cubans have a right to their rights and the exercise of popular sovereignty.

2. Raul Castro personally ordered the shoot down of two Brothers to the Rescue planes on February 24, 1996 that killed four individuals. He should be tried for crimes against humanity.

3. Across the street from the Cuban Mission to the United Nations the Democracy Movement erected an exhibition of rafts with the photos of the children murdered in the July 13, 1994 tugboat massacre in which 37 Cubans were killed.

4. During the Obama administration's process of normalizing relations that began in 2009 with the first round of loosening sanctions the regime has responded with escalating levels of violence and repression including murdering opposition leaders such as Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas and Harold Cepero on July 22, 2012.

5. Despite the Casto regime's propaganda offensive both healthcare and education are a disaster in today's Cuba.

6. To draw attention to Danilo Maldonado, "El Sexto", who has been on hunger strike since September 8th protesting his arbitrary detention that began on December 25, 2014.

There are many more reasons, the body count of the Castro regime began in 1959 and continues to the present day, as does the cry for justice and freedom. This is why we protest.

We were not alone, friends of freedom from China, Iran, Tibet, Syria, Equatorial Guinea were protesting the despotic regimes oppressing them whose tyrants were also addressing the United Nations. It was an example in action of the solidarity of the shaken.

Tibetan monk who died in Chinese prison cremated against family’s wishes, suspect he was murdered

"Chinese authorities denied us our right to pay our final respect to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and refused to return his body to us for Buddhist rites. My family believes he was murdered.” - Geshe Nyima, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s cousin

BREAKING: Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body cremated in Chinese prison against family’s demands

July 15, 2015
 

Today, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s body was cremated at a secret prison, located approximately 5km from Chuandong prison in Chengdu, at around 7am local Beijing time by the prison authorities as reported by his family members. The cremation took place against the wishes of his family to release the body in order to perform the final Buddhist rites in his hometown Lithang.

Around 30 Tibetans who were Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s immediate family and students were allowed inside the secret prison to see the body before the cremation and perform a short prayer. The cremation follows unsuccessful negotiations over the release of the body between Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s family and prison authorities, which was followed by more than 100 Tibetans staging a peaceful sit-in protest outside Chuandong prison.

No cameras or phones were allowed inside the undisclosed prison where Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was cremated. His family described the prison conditions as despicable and “worthy for a beggar”. All of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s belongings were reportedly burned and the family and mourning crowd were not permitted to hold on to any remains.

Geshe Nyima, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche’s student and cousin says in a phone message: “I am heartbroken, but also extremely angry. My family cannot accept this. We will not stop demanding justice until we have answers. Chinese authorities denied us our right to pay our final respect to Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and refused to return his body to us for Buddhist rites. My family believes he was murdered.”

Tenzin Dolkar, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet, says: “Injustice was committed against Tenzin Delek Rinpoche and his family by the Chinese government. With his death, Tibetans in Tibet lost their beloved leader and teacher. Today, their right to perform the last Buddhist rites for Tenzin Delek was taken away. Chinese authorities cremated his body with complete disregard to the family's wishes. It is a failure of world governments to allow the Chinese government to get away with committing such violence against Tibetans.”

For more information contact:

Tenzin Dolkar, tdolkar@studentsforafreetibet.org, +1 (917) 664-5530 (English)

Padma Dolma, padma@studentsforafreetibet.org, +1 (917) 664- 3315 (English, German)

https://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/media-center/press-releases/press-releases/breaking-tenzin-delek-rinpoche2019s-body-cremated-in-chinese-prison-against-family2019s-demands

Justice for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

"Since I am a Tibetan, I have always been sincere and devoted to the interests and well-being of Tibetan people. That is the real reason why the Chinese do not like me and framed me. That is why they are going to take my precious life even though I am innocent." - Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Back on April 7, 2015 this blog echoed the call for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche to be granted medical parole after his health declined on the 13th year of an unjust 20 year prison sentence. On July 12, 2015, just a little over three months later Chinese authorities informed his family that this Buddhist monk and political prisoner had died in prison but did not specify the circumstances surrounding his death nor returned the remains to his loved ones. His cousin Geshe Nyima said in a statement: 

"Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was an innocent monk who suffered over 13 years of unjust imprisonment, torture and abuse in a Chinese prison for simply advocating for the rights and well-being of his people and for expressing his devotion to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. ... "The Chinese government must immediately release his body so that our family and community may perform the last Buddhist religious rites".

Students for a Free Tibet is requesting that people of good will request the following of their respective government:

1. Demand a public inquiry into the circumstances of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's death. He was a political prisoner at the top of the priority listing for a number of countries and his passing must be officially acknowledged and the causes investigated.

2. Appeal to your Chinese counterparts that Tenzin Delek Rinpoche's body is returned to his family so that they can carry out final Tibetan Buddhist religious rites.
 
3. Express strong condemnation at the passing of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche; and convey to China its concern that he was sentenced in secrecy for a crime he did not commit, and China's failure to respond to the application for medical parole.

Student activists stormed the Chinese consulate in New York City on July 13th demanding that his body be returned to his family so that they be able to perform "the last Buddhist religious rites." Take action here and petition your government to demand that the Chinese dictatorship do the right thing then share the link with others. The international community must speak out or risk being morally complicit by its silence.

Save Tenzin: Take two minutes and help save a life

Medical Parole for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche

Above image and text below copied from Students for a Free Tibet. Please take two minutes and sign the petition below and help save a life.

For the past 13 years, Tenzin Delek Rinpoche a human rights defender, and revered Tibetan Buddhist Lama and a widely respected community leader has been a prisoner of the Chinese state and suffered years of abuse and torture in prison for a crime he did not commit. His family and all of us are extremely fearful for his life. With little to no medical treatment for his heart condition, his health has severly deteriorated.

Sign the petition to urge your Foreign Minister to call on Chinese leaders to grant medical parole for Tenzin Delek Rinpoche. For more information visit the website SaveTenzin.org and view the video below: 

Commemorating 56th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day

In solidarity with a Free Tibet.  

The Tibet Society - the world's first Tibet support group founded in 1959 - has released a press release outlining the significance of the day:

Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world [1] are marking the 56th anniversary of the 10 March 1959 uprising in Tibet - a time when hundreds of thousands of Tibetans protested China’s illegal invasion and occupation of their country.

The Central Tibetan Administration is commemorating the 56th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day at Tsuglagkhang, Dharamsala, India today via live stream today, March 10, 2015, from 9:00 am (Indian standard Time) onward.