Published by: World Tibet Network News ISSUE ID: 97/10/29

For Immediate release

Contact: Erin Potts/ Kurt Langer

October 28th, 1997

(415) 553-8533

A group of over twenty musicians, activists and academics, including Alanis Morissette, Professor Cornel West, Bonnie Raitt, Adam Werbach and Chinese democracy activist Xiao Qiang, have joined together to urge for human rights and freedoms for the citizens of Tibet and China. The letter, addressed to both Presidents Clinton and Jiang, further calls for immediate negotiations between the Beijing leadership and the Dalai Lama, the political and spiritual leader of Tibet and the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient.

"China is an ancient and venerable civilization," the letter says. "However, its government's leadership will never win the true respect of the international community until they embrace democracy and freedom and peaceably resolve the issue of Tibet by returning self government to the Tibetan people."

This week Chinese President Jiang Zemin will visit Washington DC, the first official visit of its kind since 1979. A series of protests in favor of human rights are scheduled for every stop on President Jiang's trip to the United States, including on October 29th in Washington DC.

Despite reports published by respected human rights monitoring organizations as well as the US State Department that confirm the human rights situation in Tibet and China is worsening, the Clinton administration continues to pursue an engagement policy that soft-pedals human rights. Without the threat of censure from the United States and others in the international community, the Chinese authorities have stepped up their implementation of policies that have led to massive human rights abuses, including imprisonment of political, religious and

cultural leaders. Since 1959, over 1.2 million Tibetans have reportedly died and countless others have been incarcerated and tortured for their efforts to nonviolently resist the destruction of their culture, religion and land.

(The complete text of the letter and the list of signers available

upon request from World Tibet News.)