Releases Date:
Washington, DC – March 23, 2009 – The Laogai Museum, in cooperation with the Laogai Research Foundation (LRF) and
the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), will be hosting a special exhibition, Laogai in Tibet, from March 27th through
May 30th, giving a pictorial overview of the past 50 years of human rights in Tibet under Chinese rule. The year 2009
marks the 50th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising of 1959 and the exile of the Dalai Lama.
Located at 1109 M Street, NW in Washington, DC, the Laogai Museum seeks to educate the public about the atrocities
of the Laogai—the system of forced labor prison camps in China, some of the most notorious of which can be found
inside Tibet.
The Chinese Government is painting a rosy picture of life in Tibet and has even designated March 28, the day the CCP
dissolved the Tibetan government, as ‘Serf Emancipation Day,’ claiming that the Communist party ‘liberated’ Tibetans
from serfdom and instituted ‘democratic reforms’ in Tibet. The special exhibition on Tibet aims to counter this
propaganda, and will explore the use of the Laogai and prisons as a tool of repression within Tibet as well as other
human rights abuses occurring within Tibet today, including arbitrary detention, torture and religious and political
repression. Leaving Fear Behind, a documentary about the run‐up to the Olympics in Tibet by a Tibetan filmmaker who is
currently in prison, as well as recently released footage of Chinese police brutality in Tibet, will be screened in the video
room of the Laogai Museum for the duration of the exhibition.
Chinese dissident and Laogai Museum founder Harry Wu is honored that his museum is able to host this exhibit, saying,
“I sincerely respect the spirit and determination of the people of Tibet. They have fought relentlessly for their freedom
and dignity, and all Chinese should support them because their struggle is our struggle.”
The following events are scheduled to coincide with the Laogai in Tibet special exhibition:
• March 25th 10:30 am – The Future of Tibet: Dialogue between a Tibetan and a Chinese The Heritage Foundation will
host Harry Wu and Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to discuss the future of Tibet.
• March 31st 6:00 pm – Laogai in Tibet special exhibition opening reception
• April 15th 5:00 pm – Mr. Wu will join Tubten Khétsun, a Tibetan who spent two decades performing forced labor for
opposing the Chinese occupation of Tibet, in discussing the current situation in China and Tibet
Laogai in Tibet will be open to the public during the Laogai Museum’s regular operating hours: Monday through Friday
from 9 am to 5 pm, and weekends by appointment.
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