Second Update on Brian
By Curt on Aug 22, 2008 in Olympics, 2008 Olympics, China, Imprisoned bloggers
Around 5 am US Eastern Standard Time Brian’s family received calls from the US Embassy in Beijing. An Embassy representative had visited Brian and the 5 other detainees, and we were assured that they were doing ok. Brian had written messages to different family members and he seemed in good spirits. He seems to be coping well with the situation and is finding solace and distraction in speaking Arabic with another detainee!All 6 men are being held with other international detainees, though not all together. They are in rooms of about 10 people each.The Embassy expects they will be released and deported without incident at the end of their 10 day sentence, on July 30. Brian’s notes to family indicated the same.
Of note, 4 other people working with Students for a Free Tibet, who were detained on August 21, were also sentenced to 10 days administrative detention. See http://freetibet2008.org/ for more information.
All of the detainees were working to increase awareness about the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet and repression of dissent. Tibetans face repression on a completely different scale than foreign journalists and activists.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?We are happy to have confirmation of the detainees well-being and appreciate the Embassy’s work. But our work is not done, because we can still advocate for their early release and fair treatment during detention.
Students for a Free Tibet is recommending the following as an advocacy strategy. See below for specific information on calling elected officials.
· close friends and family of the detained: contact their elected officials and urge humane treatment during the detention and a speedy and safe release of all international detainees (now 10, 8 of whom are US citizens)
· anyone who has close contacts in Congressional offices or the State Department: please do the same
· all others: please wait to contact government officials. We want to maintain clear and constant pressure for action, but don’t want to overwhelm and annoy them.
· everyone: continue to work on increasing media coverage of this issue, and spreading the word among your associates
And a few things I’d add:
· Think about the big party we’ll have when they get back!
· Figure out ways you can provide support (emotional and other) to Brian and the other detainees. The situation could be worse, but it can’t have been easy.
· Donate to Students for a Free Tibet. They’ve put in a lot of money, time, sweat and tears on this issue. The last few weeks is a small part of their overall work.
Thanks for all your good thoughts and work to help get them home.
Eowyn (Brian’s wife) and friends
From Students for a Free Tibet:
- When calling the State representative or Senators:
It is important to call the Congressperson that represents the district where your family member/friend is registered. U.S. Senators are by State not district, so call the ones responsible for New York, or Pennsylvania.
- Here is a list of congressional representatives:
NEW YORK:
- For Tom Grant: His Congressman is Jerold Nadler (District 8, New York). The person to speak to in the district office is Ellen Wallach, the Director of Constituent Services: 212-367-7350.
- For Michael Liss, Jeff Goldin and Jeremy Wells: Their Congresswoman is Carolyn Maloney (District 14, New York). There is no one specifically assigned to constituent services at the moment, so best to call the general district office number: 212-860-0606.
- For James Powderly and John Watterberg: Their Congresswoman is Nydia Velázquez and the person in the Washington D.C. office who handles these situations is Max Trujillo and can be reached by calling the general number and asking for him: 202-225-2361.
PENNSYLVANIA:
- For Brian Conley: His Congressman is Chaka Fattah (District 2, Pennsylvania). The person to speak to in their district office is Ilona Glover: 215-387-6404.
- For Jeff Rae: His Congressman is Joe Sestak (District 7, Pennsylvania). Call the district office at: 610-892-8623.
- Here is a list of U.S. Senators for NY and Pennsylvania:
- New York
1. Clinton, Hillary Rodham- (D – NY)
476 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4451
Web Form: clinton.senate.gov/contact
2. Schumer, Charles E.- (D – NY)
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Web Form: schumer.senate.gov/
SchumerWebsite/contact/ webform.cfm
- Pennsylvania
1. Casey, Robert P., Jr.- (D – PA)
383 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6324
Web Form: casey.senate.gov/contact/
2. Specter, Arlen- (R – PA)
711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING
WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4254
Web Form: http://specter.senate.gov/
public/index.cfm?FuseAction= Contact.ContactForm
- What to say:
- Say your name and the name of the detainee you are calling about. While we did our best to gather a comprehensive list of people to talk with, given that the Democratic National Convention is starting in a few days (8/25-8/28), staff members may have changed and you may need to clarify that you are speaking with the correct person to handle (a) Constituent services and/or (b) State department liaison issues. It is likely that you will be asked if you are a constituent – be honest and if you are not, stress that you are calling on behalf of a constituent who you are concerned about.
- Tell them that you are counting on their representative/senator to do everything in their power to push for a speedy release of your family member/friend. You are calling on them to use their powers to ensure that the Chinese government upholds international law and provides them access to their embassy representatives and does not mistreat them in any way.
- If they ask about the circumstances of the detainment:
i. While we do not know the specifics of where they were detained, we know that Brian Conley, Jeff Rae, Jeff Goldin, Tom Gant, Michel Liss and James Powderly were not actively participating in any protests at the time. They had been in Beijing to document the story of the ongoing protests for Tibetan independence during the Olympic games. They did not do anything that credentialed journalists haven’t done. In fact, you have seen on the news that there have been three journalists detained while covering Free Tibet protests in Beijing and those folks have all been rapidly released.
ii. Jeremy Wells and John Watterberg were detained after simply putting their fists in the air and standing in solidarity with a Tibetan-German man who held a Tibetan flag and cried “Free Tibet”.
- Make sure they have your name and number if they need to get a hold of you in the future. Thank them for their time and efforts on behalf of your family member/friend.



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