A quick update on previous BB posts (one, two, three) about American tech-artists and activists detained for pro-Tibet protests in Beijing. A Students for a Free Tibet spokesperson tells Boing Boing:
Everyone listed here is still missing.
– James Powderly
– Brian Conley
– Jeffrey Rae
– Jeff Goldin
– Michael Liss
– Tom GrantThey were all working in Beijing in different ways, as citizen journalists and activists. My opinion at this point is they are being held longer than other detained activists because they all had much more gear – macbooks, eee pc’s, HD video cameras, digital SLR cams… standard stuff in most places, but I can imagine it raises a lot of eyebrows to the authorities in China, especially when related to protests and Tibet.
We are in active touch with the US Embassy in Bejing the the US State Department… the big deadline we are just hitting 48 hours right now, so 24 hours left until the 3 day mark.
The activists who deployed the LED banner have all already been sent home, arriving in JFK right about now.
And below, word of additional, new detentions of a Tibetan-German activist and two others from the United States. Snip from SFT announcement:
Beijing – After intense surveillance by up to 50 plainclothes police, a Tibetan-German man and two pro-Tibet activists protested tonight near the Bird’s Nest stadium. The three raised their fists in the air, unfurled a Tibetan flag, and called out “Free Tibet” at approximately 12:05 am Beijing time. A fourth Tibet activist who observed the protest was detained by police at the scene. The four were taken away in a police vehicle and their whereabouts are unknown.
The four are Tibetan-German Florien Norbu Gyanatshang, 30, American Jeremy Wells, 38, American John Watterberg, 30, and Briton Mandie McKeown, 41.
“Against all odds, a Tibetan has once again raised our outlawed national flag in Beijing tonight,” said Lhadon Tethong, the Tibetan-Canadian Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “This action symbolises the determination and steadfast commitment of the Tibetan people and our supporters from around the world to achieve freedom and justice for six million Tibetans living under the brutal rule of the Chinese government.”
Tibetans and Tibet supporters have defied the best efforts of the Chinese authorities to silence all voices of dissent during the Olympic Games, staging eight protests in Beijing over the past two weeks. The protests have ranged from technically-challenging banner hangs to a dramatic “die-in” at Tiananmen Square. Surveillance efforts by Chinese authorities increased dramatically over the past few days.
“The Chinese government is petrified of these peaceful acts of defiance simply because they represent the true feelings of Tibetans inside Tibet,” said Tenzin Dorjee, Deputy Director of Students for a Free Tibet. “Our protests are a reminder to the world of the tragic reality of the Chinese government’s illegitimate occupation of Tibet and the urgent need for the Chinese leadership to seek a resolution with the Tibetan people.”
Lhadon Tethong, director of Students for a Free Tibet, quoted in this New York Times article:
[Tethong] said she was more concerned with the plight of protesters in Tibet. In recent days, she said, at least three people have reportedly been killed in the city of Ganzi after protesting on the street. She said one woman, Dolma Yungzom, was shot five or six times point blank after she unfurled a banner, though Ms. Tethong provided no evidence.
Watch video updates on FT08tv.
Previously on Boing Boing blog:
* Beijing: “Alive in Baghdad” videoblogger among US citizens detained in pro-Tibet protests
* Beijing: Five US activists detained after lighting up “Free Tibet” LED Throwies banner near Olympics site
* GRL’s James Powderly detained in Beijing for planning pro-Tibet “L.A.S.E.R. Stencil” art protest
Related episodes of Boing Boing tv:
* BBtv WORLD (Tibet): Inside Lhasa
* Vlog (Xeni): Tibet report – monks forced to participate in staged videos.
* Vlog (Xeni): Tibet’s uprising and the internet