Tibetan Flags Protest Beijing 080808 from Students for a Free Tibet on Vimeo.
Last night, just before the start of the opening ceremonies, three SFT activists — Jonathan Stribling-Uss, 27, and Kalaya’an Mendoza, 29, Americans, and Cesar Pablo Maxit, 32, an Argentine-American — were immediately and forcibly detained after unfurling Tibetan flags. We’ve just found out that all three were deported from China earlier today and are on a flight back to New York.
Tibetans have never backed down from their desire for independence in five decades of brutal Chinese occupation. And SFT and our global activists will keep speaking out during these Olympic Games. China thinks they can hold the world’s focus on sport and Beijing’s bright lights, but we’re proving that they can’t keep focus off of Tibet.