Senate Floor Statement Of Sen. Patrick Leahy On Fourth Anniversary Of The Detainment Of Ngawang Choephel By Chinese Authorities

September 15, 1999

Mr. President, it was four years ago that Ngawang Choephel, a Tibetan who studied ethnomusicology at Middlebury College in Vermont on a Fulbright Scholarship, was arrested in Tibet in 1995. After imprisoning him incommunicado for 15 months, on December 26, 1996, Chinese officials sentenced Mr. Choephel to 18 years in prison on charges of espionage.

Four years have passed and despite high level discussions about this case between the Administration and Chinese officials, resolutions passed in both the Senate and the House on Mr. Choephel's behalf, and a number of worldwide letter writing campaigns, he remains incarcerated in a remote corner of Tibet for a crime he did not commit.

The Chinese Government has never provided evidence to support their allegations that Mr. Choephel was sent by the Dalai Lama to gather intelligence and engage in "separatist" activities. The State Department has no evidence that he participated in any illegal or political activity.

What is indisputable, however, is that Mr. Choephel traveled to Tibet with a donated video camera and recording equipment to document Tibetan music and dance -- subjects he studied as a young man in India and as a Fulbright Scholar in Vermont. The sixteen hours of footage that Mr. Choephel sent out of Tibet before his arrest affirm this fact. It simply shows the traditional dancing and singing that is an integral part of Tibet's rich cultural heritage.

I have spoken out many times about this tragic miscarriage of justice. I have twice discussed my concerns with Chinese President Jiang, once in Beijing and again in Washington. I and other members of Congress have written letter after letter to the Chinese Ambassador in Washington and other Chinese officials seeking information about Mr. Choephel's whereabouts and his well- being. I have tried to arrange meetings with Chinese authorities here to no avail.

As we commemorate this sad anniversary, we know no more about Mr. Choephel's condition than we did four years ago. His mother, who has repeatedly sought permission from the Chinese government to visit her only child, has not given up. She continues her tireless campaign for his freedom on the streets of New Delhi.

Mr. President, I had hoped that Chinese authorities would have recognized by now the grave mistake they made in sentencing Mr. Choephel. International outrage over this case mounts with each additional year he spends in jail. Congress, the Administration and the international community must continue to do whatever it can to ensure that next year at this time we are celebrating this young man's release, and the release of the many other political prisoners who are being unfairly detained in Tibet and China.