James M. Jeffords: “I understand Senate Resolution 19, concerning the imprisonment of Tibetan ethnomusicologist Ngawang Choephel may be…”

“I understand Senate Resolution 19, concerning the imprisonment of Tibetan ethnomusicologist Ngawang Choephel may be coming to the floor later in the day, and I want to speak in favor of it. This case has a special resonance in Vermont because Mr. Choephel was a Fulbright scholar at Middlebury College from 1993 to 1995, and has hundreds of friends throughout the State. He is well known as a talented and compassionate individual, who cares deeply about the culture of the Tibetan people. Indeed, it was while he was researching and recording traditional folk song and dance in Tibet in the fall of 1995 that he was arrested by the Chinese authorities and held incommunicado. The charges filed against him by the Chinese Government--that he was in Tibet to spy for the Dalai Lama, shocked and outraged those of us who know Ngawang well. His subsequent conviction at a secret trial and an incredible 18-year sentence are an injustice and have been widely and justifiably condemned by society in general. I hope this resolution will help to convince Beijing to reconsider its actions in this case, and to release Ngawang immediately and unconditionally.”