Dharamshala, 1st November: On behalf of Tibetans inside Tibet and around the world, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile expressed gratitude to professional basketball player Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association for his invaluable support for the cause of Tibet and urged for his continued support.
The Speaker, in a letter to the NBA star, stated, “We are ecstatic and appreciative for your commitment to the truth. The fact that you have raised your voice demonstrates your commitment to truth and justice.”
“Since the illegal invasion and occupation of Tibet by the People’s Republic of China in 1959. Tibetans are not only deprived of basic and fundamental human rights. They are subjected to brainwashing with forced labor in indoctrinating camps, while millions live in fear amid vast surveillance within their homes.”
“The recent transfer of Wang Junzheng, CCP Secretary of Xinjiang to Tibet indicates the CCP’s intention of clamping down every move by Tibetans who uphold their love and pride for being Tibetans.”
“At this crossroad of brutal and inhuman atrocities in Tibet, we value every single voice raised in support of our brothers and sisters in Tibet. We also invoke the conscience of every human to be the voice of the voiceless. Hence your stand for truth and justice and your voice gave a ray of hope for them.”
Enes Kanter of the Boston Celtics is facing backlash in China after labeling President Xi Jinping a “brutal dictator.” He also expressed support for the Free Tibet movement in a video broadcast on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Kanter stated in the video that his message for the Chinese government is to free Tibet, and Tibet belongs to Tibetans. His name has since been removed from the Chinese social media platform Weibo, and Celtics game streaming has apparently been canceled.
Kanter spoke into the camera for about three minutes in the video on Wednesday, decrying what he called a “cultural genocide” in Tibet. Kanter debuted shoes with the phrase “Free Tibet” drawn by Badiucao, a Chinese dissident cartoonist based in Australia, on the same day as his video.
Source: TibetToday(Instagram)
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