Free Tibet started life in 1987 when we were named Tibet Support Group UK. We renamed ourselves Free Tibet Campaign in 1996 and made one further name change in 2008, becoming Free Tibet.
FREE TIBET
In 2020 we merged with Tibet Society. Tibet Society was founded in 1959, within weeks of the flight of the Dalai Lama from Tibet following the uprising against China’s occupation. We are a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. We are independent of all governments (including the Central Tibetan Administration) and funded entirely by our supporters from all over the world. The Tibetan people seek justice and freedom and their peaceful resistance deserves our support. Will you join us?
WHAT WE DO
SHARING ACCURATE INFORMATION
We are at the forefront of breaking news from inside Tibet. We work closely with our research partner Tibet Watch to securely obtain and verify the latest news, which we share through our website, social media and worldwide media. We are a trusted and accurate source of information and we are regularly featured in media stories across the world.
CHALLENGING CHINA
China uses its economic weight to silence the discussion of Tibet on the world stage and propaganda to prevent individuals from learning the truth. We counter this by pressuring world leaders and exposing the reality about Tibet, driving international support for Tibetans’ tireless and peaceful struggle for freedom.
LOBBYING AND CAMPAIGNING
We lobby political leaders to do more for Tibet and we provide evidence of torture and other human rights abuse in Tibet to the United Nations. We pressure Chinese leaders on their policies in Tibet and on individual Tibetan political prisoners. We run targeted campaigns that challenge corporations seeking to profit from the occupation.
GROWING SUPPORT FOR TIBET
We have an active and growing supporter base who help us to pressure our campaign targets and to share information about Tibet. The Tibetan people seek justice and freedom and their peaceful resistance deserves our support. Will you join us?
TIBET SOCIETY
Tibet Society was the world’s first Tibet support group. The Society was founded in 1959, within weeks of the flight of the Dalai Lama from Tibet following the uprising against China’s occupation. Today, having merged with Free Tibet, the organisation continues to work actively for the freedom of the Tibetan people and their right to self-determination. We are governed by a joint board. All the founders of Tibet Society had personal knowledge of an independent and free Tibet, having either lived in Lhasa or had direct dealings with the Tibetan government. Hugh Richardson, the British Representative in Tibet, was among the dignitaries who greeted the young Dalai Lama when, in 1939, aged just four, he first entered Lhasa. Heinrich Harrer, when in Lhasa in the 1940s, coached the Dalai Lama in English and maths. Robert Ford, who remained Vice President until his death in 2013, was captured and imprisoned for five years by the invading Chinese army in 1950 when serving as a radio officer to the Tibetan Government. Well known High Court Judge and founder of the Buddhist Society, Christmas Humphreys, first met the Dalai Lama in 1956.