All are welcome to attend the talk:

Date: Wednesday 27 January 2016
Time: 4.30pm – 6pm
Admission: Free
Venue: Committee Room 9, 
Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), London SW1A 0AA
Entrance: Cromwell Green visitor
entrance (once past security, information staff can direct you to Committeee Room 9)
Nearest tube: Westminster
Details about visiting Parliament: www.parliament.uk/visiting
Contacts: 
Padma (SFT) padma@studentsforafreetibet.org 
or Paul (Tibet Society) paul@tibetsociety.com, 020 7923 0021

Biography
Golog Jigme, also known as Jigme Gyatso, is a Tibetan Buddhist monk and human rights activist. He is the most high profile former political prisoner and torture survivor to escape Tibet in recent years. 

Jigme was born in 1969 into a Tibetan nomadic family in Kardze, Kham (now part of China’s Sichuan province). At the age of 14 he entered Labrang monastery in Kanlho, Amdo (Gansu province). 

Whilst at Labrang, Jigme became known as a social activist and was described as a “monk of moral integrity and a sincere social worker”. He taught children about Tibetan culture, promoted the Tibetan language and was involved in various social welfare concerns including assisting in relief efforts following the Yushu earthquake in 2010.

In 2008, Jigme was arrested by the Chinese authorities for assisting Dhondhup Wangchen in interviewing Tibetans about their lives under China’s rule. The footage was smuggled out and became the documentary Leaving Fear Behind. Jigme was held in custody for seven months, during which time he was tortured and beaten. 

Following his release, Jigme was subject to strict surveillance, constant harassment and detentions. He finally managed to escape from Tibet in 2014, arriving in Dharamsala, northern India in May that year. 

In 2014, Golog Jigme was listed by Reporters Without Borders as one of their “100 Information Heroes”.

Since arriving in exile, he has given repeated testimony to the United Nations, most recently for China’s Review by the UN Committee Against Torture in November 2015.

Testimony
At the public talk, Golog Jigme will give testimony about the torture and conditions he experienced in Chinese prisons, including the use of ‘tiger chairs’, which China has falsely claimed have been abolished. (Tiger chairs are used in prisons and detention centres to restrain individuals during torture sessions.) Jigme will also talk about the current situation in Tibet and the ongoing oppression faced by the Tibetan people.

Golog Jigme’s visit to London is the first leg of a worldwide speaker tour. During his time in London, Jigme will also have meetings with Foreign Office officials and MPs.

Tibet Society, the world’s first Tibet support group, was founded in 1959. Funded by its members, it has been working for over 50 years to seek justice for Tibet through parliamentary lobbying, campaigns and actions. Help keep Tibet alive by joining Tibet Society today. Annual membership £24; Family £36; Life £500.