URGENT: Release Tashi Wangchuk
33-year old Tibetan shopkeeper and language rights advocate Tashi Wangchuk bravely pressed Chinese authorities for rightful Tibetan language education. This simple, legal action earned him five years in prison with a release date of January 2021. Call for his release now.
Tashi Wangchuk was detained on 27 January 2016 and tried on 4 January 2018 on trumped-up charges of ‘inciting separatism’, after he shed light on China’s failure to protect the basic human right to education.
On 22 May 2018, China gave Tashi Wangchuk a five-year prison sentence, despite the fact that he has committed no crime under international law nor the Chinese constitution. China's 'evidence' against Tashi was a short video documentary by The New York Times about Tashi’s campaign for Tibetan language education in schools.
Tashi's lawyer has indicated he plans to appeal the wrongful conviction and five-year sentence. Adding your signature could be the tipping point we need to bring him freedom.
Call on the five governments that tried to attend Tashi's trial - EU, UK, US, Canada and Germany - to press China for Tashi Wangchuk's immediate and unconditional release.