Guide Note

Formed in New York City in 1994, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) is a student-led activist organization aimed at ending the Chinese occupation of Tibet through education, advocacy and non-violent direct action. The group garnered international media attention in the late 90s by organizing major concert events, including the Tibetan Freedom Concerts.

Fast Facts

1. Founded: 1994
2. HQ: New York City
3. Executive Director: Lhadon Tethong
4. Deputy Director: Tenzin Dorjee
5. Grassroots Coordinator: Kalaya'an Mendoza
6. 650 chapters in 35 countries

In anticipation of the 2008 Olympics hosted by Beijing, China, the SFT has participated in a number of protests around the globe, many of them following the path of the Olympic Torch. In Westminster, England and San Francisco, California, banners reading "One World, One Dream, Free Tibet 08" were displayed along the torch's route.

The Tibetan Independence movement has existed in various forms since 1959, when an armed insurrection was mounted by remnants of the Tibetan civil authority against China, which had annexed the kingdom in 1951. The Tibetan government has functioned in exile since that time in Dharamsala, India under the leadership of the the 14th Dalai Lama.