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Support the Tibetan Association of Santa Fe and Amnesty International
| BENEFIT ART AUCTION on OCTOBER 12, 2002 6 - 10 p.m. LA FONDA HOTEL --- LUMPKINS BALLROOM (Please put this on your calendar and plan to attend!) For more information |
Special Guest Speaker: LODI GYARI -Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Chairman Board of Directors, International Campaign for Tibet; founder Tibetan Review and Tibetan Youth Congress; designated by the Dalai Lama to commence negotiations with P.R.C. government. WE NEED YOUR HELP! This event is jointly sponsored by the Tibetan Association of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico Chapters of Amnesty International. WE NEED YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS of Art, Jewelry, Ethnic Goods, Weavings, Books, Professional Services, and anything else auctionable in our Live and Silent Auctions! You can convert that unwanted treasure, or that special painting or graphic you've created, or one that you no longer have room for, into money, which will go towards creating a national Tibetan Prisoner Newsletter, and payments on the building housing the new Tibet Cultural Center, New Mexico Amnesty International Projects, and your contribution is tax deductible! Three important Tibetan prisoners: NGAWANG CHOPHEL (musicologist), CHADREL RINPOCHE (Buddhist Monk), and TANAK JIGME SANGPO (primary school teacher) have been released since January 2002. We must continue the political, economic and intergovernmental pressure on the Chinese government, and to coordinate this effort takes time, money, and special advanced planning. Senator Bingaman and Congressman Udall have helped thus far, but we need to take it much further, in a coordinated national and international effort. You could start by writing the day you receive this, to both Sen. Bingaman and Rep. Udall, asking them to determine the condition of BANGRI RINPOCHE (Buddhist Monk whose orphanage in Lhasa was destroyed by Chinese officials before he was imprisoned - his whereabouts are presently unknown). Proceeds of this auction will also help the Tibet Cultural Center teach Tibetan language, music, art, and traditional culture to young Tibetans, who are losing their connection to the cultural roots of their invaded nation. The link between Santa Fe Tibetans and Amnesty International (with its long history of freeing political prisoners imprisoned by repressive regimes) is a new and historic collaboration, which, we believe, will produce beneficial results, especially in getting Tibetan prisoners released in China, and freeing prisoners of conscience who have done nothing wrong but to speak from the heart, for which they are tortured and jailed!
Lama Gyaltsen Tibetan Association of Santa Fe PO Box 29136 Santa Fe, NM 87592 (505) 424 1146 mailto:lamagyaltsen@aol.com | Rod Morgan Amnesty International Santa Fe Chapter PO Box 328 Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 986-2007
Please join us for this wonderful occasion, and please contact one of us if you can donate: Time (to make phone calls and to collect items for auction) Art you have created Art you have collected Art by artists you know Jewelry, Ethnic Goods, and Furniture, or Weavings Books (unsigned or signed by author) A DINNER FOR TWO at your favorite restaurant Unusual or valuable, articles of clothing Professional services (i.e. Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, Veterinarian, Art Restoration, etc.) from your or a friend. Any thing else we haven't mentioned valuable will help, or any personal stroke of genius (we really need your ideas, too!) If you wish to contribute money to help finance this effort, your contribution is tax deductible and will be much appreciated Breaking the Silence: Torture and Abuse at Drapchi Prison, Tibet
Each of us must stand together in opposition to these injustices, to hold the Chinese government accountable for their actions. Amnesty International has been struggling to bring an end to the brutal repression exercised by the Chinese government in Tibet for nearly 40 years. Throughout that time Amnesty has empowered individuals to confront the Chinese government and expose the deplorable human rights record of the Chinese government, and to demand the release of individuals whose only crime is the non-violent expression of their beliefs. Amnesty International calls on all of us to stand up and give a voice to all of those who have been unjustly silenced and stripped of their freedom.
| Chuye Kunsang was detained in Drapchi Prison from February 1995 to February 1999. She was initially arrested for her participation in a peaceful demonstration in Lhasa against the lack of religious freedom in Tibet. During her detention in Drapchi, Chuye suffered numerous beatings and constant abuse. "When I finished my four year sentence in Drapchi Prison, I was warned never to speak about my experiences inside prison. The guards told me that I would be arrested again if I did and that my sentence would be twice as long. This is why I can not return to Tibet." Passang Lhamo was arrested in May 1994 when she was just 19 years old subjected to beatings and many other forms of abuse, and was released in May of 1999.
Tibetan nuns Chuye Kunsang and Passang Lhamo
"The military exercises began with daily sessions of standing in the direct sunlight… Sometimes the guards would put books or cups of water on our heads to make sure that we were not moving. When the book fell or when some water was spilled, then you would be beaten . . ." Following the May 1998 prison protests and her refusal to sing songs of praise for the Chinese government, Passang was held in solitary confinement and subjected to numerous beatings and torture sessions. Following her release in 1999, Passang was denied all political rights and could not rejoin her nunnery. In Tibet, Tibetans have suffered intense political and religious oppression at the hands of Chinese authorities. In particular, Drapchi Prison (Tibet Autonomous Regional Prison No. 1) has become notorious for episodes of torture and abuse inflicted on Tibetan political prisoners. Severe beatings and torture with electric batons are used to enforce prison rules and regulations. Tibetan nuns have been subjected to acts of rape and public degradation. On May 1 and 4, 1998, during Chinese flag-raising ceremonies, several prisoners shouted slogans in support of Tibet's exiled leader, the Dalai Lama. Participants suffered a cruel punishment at the hands of security officials who used rifle butts, iron rods, electric batons and belt buckles to inflict severe beatings on the protesters. A total of nine prisoners died as a result of the beatings following the demonstrations. This is only one incident in an ongoing pattern of appalling repression and blatant denial of the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people. "For lay people, the situation in Tibet is deteriorating every day. Anyone who dares utter a word about Tibetan independence or human rights for Tibet is imprisoned for 'endangering state security'. Sometimes, people try to distribute leaflets or print posters, but the punishments are severe and one has only to be suspected of such activities to be arrested . . ."
HELP TIBETANS IMPRISONED IN CHINA
_______1. Time (to collect items for auction) | _______5. Jewelry, Ethnic Goods, and Furniture, or Weavings
_______2. Art you have created | _______6. Books (unsigned or signed by author)
_______3. Art you have collected | _______7. A DINNER FOR TWO at your favorite restaurant
_______4. Art by artists you know | _______8. Unusual or valuable, articles of clothing
______9. Professional services (i.e. Doctor, Lawyer, Dentist, Veterinarian, Art Restoration, etc.) from your or a friend.
10. If you wish to contribute money to help finance this effort, your contribution is tax deductible and will be much appreciated. _______ Amount contributed
11. Any thing else we haven't mentioned valuable will help, or any personal stroke of genius (we really need your ideas, too!)
For more information
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