Help Free Jailed Tibetan Tashi Rabten

Photo: © International Pen/Sydney

Tashi Rabten is one of two Tibetan students arrested by the Chinese government from the Tibet Autonomous Region. As the editior of Shar Dungri (Eastern Snow Mountain), a banned literary magazine, he wrote on the suppression of the March 2008 protests in Lhasa and surrounding regions. Sydney PEN is calling for Tashi’s immediate release from Chinese custody.

Sydney PEN is the Australia based affiliate of International PEN, a worldwide association of writers that was founded in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual cooperation among writers everywhere; to emphasize the role of literature in the development of mutual understanding and world culture; to fight for freedom of expression; and to act as a powerful voice on behalf of writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes killed for their views. PEN has 144 centres in 102 countries across the globe.

International PEN is seriously concerned for the welfare of this Tibetan writer and editor arrested on July 27th 2009.

The International Campaign for Tibet gives the following background:

Tashi Rabten… is from Dzoege (Chinese: Ruo’ergai) county in Ngaba, Sichuan province in the Tibetan region of Kham and is due to graduate next year. One of his friends said: “He has won great respect and popularity among students, intellectuals and ordinary readers in Tibet as an outstanding and brave young thinker.”

Referring to his recent book, Written in Blood, the friend said: “It consists of many valuable writings on democracy, freedom and equality. In fact, I didn’t see anything illegal in there. It’s all accurate and true.” The same source said that Tashi Rabten had been under surveillance for some time, with his activities strictly monitored, and copies of his book confiscated from the university.

You can protest his imprisonment by sending this campaign letters to Ambassador to China, Dr Geoff Raby, and Dr Geoff Raby at the Embassy of China, Canberra.

Take action today, send PEN’s letter of appeal to the Chinese authorities.

Click here to read Brian’s bio.