Statement on Tashi Wangchuk

Tashi Wangchuk, a Tibetan language advocate, has been incarcerated by the Chinese authorities since January 2016. His trial was held 105 days ago, yet he is still awaiting a verdict and faces up to 15 years in prison. Tashi Wangchuk was originally detained after speaking on record to the New York Times about a campaign he spearheaded to ensure children in Tibet are given mother tongue language tuition - a right guaranteed by China's constitution.

International organisations who have called for Tashi Wangchuk's release include the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International. The United States Embassy in Beijing has criticized the Chinese Government for its prosecution of the case and his case was raised in the UK parliament in October 2017, where the Chinese authorities were urged to release him from detention . The Linguistics Society of America has also spoken out in support of Tashi Wangchuk and against his continuing detention.

We join with linguists across the world in calling for Tashi Wangchuk's release and encourage our members to publicise his case, in particular with their representatives in parliament and in their nations' embassies in China. We are also joining with the Linguistics Society of America and the Linguistic Society of Belgium (amongst others) in endorsing a joint statement for linguists, writers and artists calling for the releae of Tashi Wangchuk.