Dhondup Wangchen was arrested in Tibet on 26 March 2008 for filming interviews with ordinary Tibetans about their views on the Beijing Olympics, the Dalai Lama, and Chinese government policies in Tibet.

The resulting interviews - captured in the documentary ‘Leaving Fear Behind’ - provide a rare glimpse into the thoughts, feelings, joys, and hardships of Tibetans living under occupation. View ‘Leaving Fear Behind’ (24 mins)

Dhondup is currently serving a six year prison sentence in Xichuan prison, which is a labor camp in eastern Tibet (Ch: Qinghai Province). Dhondup is known to have been tortured and has not received medical treatment despite having contracted Hepititis B since being in detention.

As part of an international campaign for the release of Dhondup Wangchen, supporters worldwide are sending him short, personal letters in prison. Former Tibetan political prisoners have testified to the fact that they became aware of the letters arriving at their prison from people around the world. This gave them a tremendous source of strength and encouragement.

Letters to a political prisoner also send a signal to the Chinese authorities that the global community cares about the well-being of this individual, and that their treatment in prison is under scrutiny. Prison letter-writing campaigns have resulted in better conditions for prisoners and in some instances a reduced sentence.

Please write a personal letter to Dhondup Wangchen in Xichuan Prison (Download cover letter containing addresses and messages to Chinese authorities and Dhondup Wangchen)

Prison Address:
Dhondup Wangchen [Chinese: Dangzhi Xiangqian]
Xichuan Prison
108 Xichuan South Road
Xining City
Qinghai Province, 810029
People’s Republic of China

When writing your letter please remember to:
- Include Dhondup Wangchen’s name as it is known in Tibetan - Dhondup Wangchen, and in Chinese - Dangzhi Xiangqian.
- Include a simple greeting, with a little bit of information about how you heard about Dhondup Wangchen and why you have decided to write to him.
- Use common sense and basic precautions, remembering that the letters you send will be read by the prison authorities.
- You do not need to include your full address, but your name and country of origin will help to show the breadth of global support.
- Copying your letters to the Party Chief of Qinghai (Qiang Wei) and the Minister of Justice (Wu Aiying) is more likely to make the prison authorities take note of this campaign. Addresses for Wu Aiying and Qiang Wei are included in the cover letter which we recommend you download and print.

Pre-prepared Cover Letter
To ensure that Dhondup Wangchen and the Chinese authorities know of the wide reaching support for his release, we advise that you download and print the cover letter we have prepared. Download cover letter

As well as the relevant postal addresses, the cover letter includes Chinese and Tibetan translations of the following paragraphs:

Message for the benefit of the prison authorities, Justice Minister and Qinghai Party Secretary
“I am writing this personal letter to Dhondup Wangchen (Dangzhi Xiangqian) to offer him my support. Dhondup Wangchen is an innocent man. I join thousands of individuals around the world in expressing my appreciation of his actions as a film-maker and in calling for his immediate release. I am also gravely concerned for Dhondup’s health and well-being and urge the prison authorities to ensure that he is being given the medical treatment he requires. Please also be aware that these concerns are being brought to the attention of China’s Central Government and Qiang Wei, Party Secretary of Qinghai Province.”

Message for the benefit of Dhondup Wangchen
“I am writing this personal letter to you to offer you my support. I join thousands of individuals around the world in expressing my appreciation of your actions as a film-maker and in calling for your immediate release.”

Download cover letter

‘Leaving Fear Behind’ (24 mins) by Dhondup Wangchen