Hi,
Below are more details about Brian Conley and Jeff Rae. Email [EMAIL
PROTECTED] if you'd like to be added to the list for updates.
cheers,
Sarah
PS: Check out this coming week's episode of Alive in Baghdad; we'll have a
segment at the end about Brian and Jeff's situation.
Hello friends and family of Brian Conley and Alive in Baghdad,
If you haven't heard about Brian's detention, along with 5 others in Beijing,
please see this article from the Washington Post
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/21/AR2008082101975.html?sub=AR>
UPDATE
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 <http://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
<http://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/ <http://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.
----- Forwarded Message
From: Brian Conley Update <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:14:46 -0400
To: free brian and tibet <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Update: Brian Conley and 5 others detained in Beijing
Hello friends and family of Brian Conley and Alive in Baghdad,
If you haven't heard yet, Brian was among 6 people recently arrested in
Beijing, China while traveling to cover pro-Tibet demonstrations. We believe
his arrest and detention (now over 3 days) are a direct result of his work as a
journalist and his commitment to reporting on people's struggles. Of course, a
repressive and authoritarian Chinese government doesn't help much either.
We have set up this email list to provide regular (daily, more or less) updates
on the situation. If you DO NOT want to receive these updates, please feel free
to respond directly to this email address These updates will not include
information about other Tibet-related protests or detentions. We couldn't do
better than www.FreeTibet2008.org <http://www.freetibet2008.org/> , so we
won't even try.
Here is the most recent information we have about the situation. This is
followed by a statement from Eowyn (Brian's wife) and resources for additional
information. Please feel free to forward this to anyone who might be
interested. Also, send us links to articles or other resources you find.
Thanks!
As of about 8 pm Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, August 21 Brian and 5
others had been detained for approximately 77 hours, with no communication from
them and minimal direct information from the Chinese authorities.
Earlier on Thursday, according to the Agency France Press the Beijing police
disclosed that "Thomas" and 5 other unnamed activists had been sentenced to 10
days administrative detention
<http://au.sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news/article/-/4945948/olympics-foreigners-given-10-days-detention-beijing-police>
for "upsetting public order." We believe that the 6 detainees are Brian
Conley, Jeff Rae (who also works with Alive in Baghdad), James Powderly, Jeff
Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant.
After 72 hours of detention, foreign governments are expected to inform local
embassies of the detention of any foreign nationals. The US Embassy has been
confirmed the names of the 6 detainees with the Chinese authorities. The
Embassy has also been in touch with Eowyn and assured her that they are working
diligently to gain access to Brian and the other detainees.
Videoblogger Brian Conley, detained with 5 others in Beijing
Statement from Eowyn Rieke
My husband, Brian Conley, has dedicated his life to helping oppressed people
communicate their struggles to the world. Since 2004 he has worked on the video
blog Alive in Baghdad <http://aliveinbaghdad.org/> which produces and
distributes weekly video segments about daily life in Iraq and the impact of
the war.
Brian went to China to document pro-Tibet protests taking place concurrent with
the Olympics. He was not participating in political actions, only documenting
them as any journalist would. On August 19, 2008, he was arrested by Chinese
authorities for this work, along with 5 others working with Students for a Free
Tibet, Jeff Rae (who also works with Alive in Baghdad), James Powderly, Jeff
Goldin, Michael Liss, and Tom Grant. Under China's repressive government it is
illegal to record expressions of free speech and work as a journalist without
state supervision.
This situation is only one of many examples of the Chinese government's
repression of free speech and activists for Tibet. In most cases the repression
is much more severe, ranging from torture to indefinite detention to summary
execution. In the last few months over 400 people have been killed in Tibet for
their political activities.
Brian would be uncomfortable with the attention being paid to his situation. He
would want us to focus on the people around the world who are truly struggling
as a result of war, global economics, racism, imperialism and other
injustices.
But we also want Brian home, along with the 5 people detained with him. He and
are I starting a family, and are looking forward to the birth of our first
child in October. Although I am now 31 weeks pregnant, Brian went to China
with my full support. We decided together that we cannot stand aside while
people are tortured, detained and killed because they want a better life for
themselves and their children.
For more information about the detention of Brian Conley and 5 others in
Beijing, please see www.freetibet2008.org <http://www.freetibet2008.org/> .
Please consider donating money to Students for a Free Tibet
<http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/> to support their work. To get regular
updates about Brian's situation or to arrange an interview with me (Eowyn
Rieke, Brian's wife), please email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
------ End of Forwarded Message
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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