About Lhadon Tethong
Lhadon Tethong, Director of Tibet Action Institute, is one of the most influential leaders and recognizable faces in the Tibetan freedom movement. A Tibetan born in Canada, she was the Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet from 2003-2009 and its Program Director from 1999-2003. Lhadon has traveled the world building a powerful non-violent movement for Tibet’s freedom and leading innovative economic and political campaigns against China’s rule in Tibet. A visionary strategist, she led the high-profile global campaign to condemn China’s rule of Tibet in the lead-up to and during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In 2007, she made international headlines as an exile Tibetan who boldly challenged the occupation of Tibet from inside China, posting real-time accounts of her travels through Beijing as it was preparing for the 2008 Olympics on her blog, BeijingWideOpen.org – one of the first Tibetan blogs in existence. Her presence in Beijing drew the ire of the Chinese authorities and Lhadon was detained and deported from China. A renowned spokesperson on Tibetan issues in the media, Lhadon has also addressed audiences around the world about Tibet’s occupation and the movement for freedom. She has trained and inspired countless students and young people in dozens of countries to become skilled and committed activists for Tibet and for social justice everywhere.
By Lhadon Tethong (first published in January 2011) I was attending the World Social Forum in Brazil when the Chinese government executed Lobsang Dhondup and sentenced Tenzin Delek Rinpoche to death. I was checking my email in a small cybercafe … Continue reading →
