Lhamo Tso and Peter Coyote Press Conference at Chinese Consulate in SF

MEDIA ADVISORY                                                                         Photo Opportunity

DATE               October 3, 2013

Contact:          Mrs. Lhamo Tso, 510-681-3244 (ONLY TIBETAN)

Mr. Peter Coyote, c/o Elizabeth Ross,  Assistant to Peter Coyote,  415-385-9908 

Ms. Tenzin Tselha, Students for a Free Tibet, 510-289-5691

Mr. Giovanni Vassallo, Bay Area Friends of Tibet, 415-264-3264

www.filmingfortibet.org    www.friends-of-tibet.org

WHO:             Lhamo Tso, wife of imprisoned Dhondup Wangchen & Actor Peter Coyote

WHAT:            Press Conference and Handover of Birthday letters and photos for her husband, Dhondup Wangchen who is in Chinese prison

WHERE:          Consulate of the People’s Republic of China in San Francisco

1450 Laguna, San Francisco, California,

WHEN:            Wednesday, October 9, 2013 @ 11 AM – 1 PM

WHY:              Lhamo Tso, wife of Tibetan filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, accompanied by actor Mr. Peter Coyote, will go to the Chinese Consulate to hand over letters and pictures for her husband who is in a prison in China and whose birthday is on October 17. Peter Coyote supports the demand for a safe return of Dhondup Wangchen.

                        Dhondup Wangchen is nearing the end of a six-year prison sentence in China for "inciting separatism" -- simply because he dared to speak out about Tibetan human rights through his filmmaking. Dhondup Wangchen suffers from Hepatitis B and has not received the medical treatment he needs. It has been difficult to obtain reliable information about his condition. He is believed to have been transferred to Qinghai Provincial Women’s Prison.

Dhondup Wangchen's case is known internationally. He was awarded by various organizations for his courageous documentary. The self-taught camera man and filmmaker travelled across Tibet with his assistant Golog Jigme in 2007/2008. His film "Leaving Fear Behind" (28 min.) was translated into a dozen languages and has been screened in more than 30 countries worldwide.

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