17 May 2006
Phuntsog Nyidron finally receives Reebok Award for Human Rights
(ICT) Phuntsog Nyidron was given several standing ovations in New York when she was finally presented with the Reebok Human Rights Award, which she won in 1995 while still in prison serving a 15-year sentence. Phuntsog Nyidron, who was released by the Chinese authorities and went to the US on 15 March 2006, joined this year's award winners on 17 May at a ceremony at New York University's Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. Phuntsog Nyidron said: "When the Reebok Human Rights Foundation announced my name as one of the recipients of the award for 1995, I was in prison in Tibet. Through over 15 years in prison, I was not at all aware of the tremendous international concern about the plight of Tibetan political prisoners like myself, as symbolized by the award. I am just an ordinary Tibetan. The actions that I took only reflected the prevalent feeling among the Tibetan people in Tibet about Chinese authorities' attitude towards our spiritual and temporal leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama and our people. I raised my voice, as did many of my fellow Tibetans, against China's occupation of my country and denial of freedom of our people".