Pabst Blue Ribbon Celebrates China's Invasion of Tibet

Contact: John Hocevar, 212-358-0071

Lhadon Tethong, 917 418-4181

NEW YORK (October 30, 2001) -- Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) revealed today that Pabst Blue Ribbon is running an advertising campaign in Tibet stating that ''Pabst Blue Ribbon celebrates the 50th anniversary of the peaceful liberation of Tibet.'' The student group is demanding Pabst issue an immediate public apology.

Students for a Free Tibet obtained photos of the contentious billboards directly across the street from the Potala Palace, the winter residence of H.H the Dalai Lama. The Potala, constructed in the 7th century by the Tibetan King Songsten Gampo, was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994. The billboards, written in Tibetan and Chinese, appear to be targeted at the local population as well as Chinese tourists.

Chinese soldiers have also been photographed stationed under Pabst Blue Ribbon umbrellas in Lhasa. The umbrellas appear to be specifically designed to shelter People's Liberation Army sentries, and are a common
site throughout Tibet's capital.

''It's absolutely outrageous that Pabst would publicly celebrate China's brutal invasion and occupation of my country,'' said Lhadon Tethong, Tibetan activist and Projects Coordinator for Students for a Free Tibet. ''What's next - 'Pabst celebrates the 15th anniversary of the peaceful conclusion of the uprising in Tiananmen Square'?''

China invaded Tibet in 1949. Since then, the Tibetan people have suffered religious repression and human rights abuses at the hands of the Chinese government. According to a U.S State Department report on
religious freedom released last week, ''repression of religious freedom in Tibet reached severe levels'' in 2000. The report went on to say that ''many persons, including monks and nuns, were arrested for attempting to protest peacefully or for refusing to abide by rules imposed by government authorities in Buddhist monasteries. There were reports of the death of religious prisoners, as well as the imprisonment and abuse or torture of monks and nuns accused of political activism.''

''Pabst Blue Ribbon's ad campaign is one of the worst examples of a corporation demeaning itself to please a foreign dictatorship I have ever seen,'' said John Hocevar, Executive Director of Students for a Free Tibet. ''It's indefensible both morally and historically, and warrants an immediate public apology.''

Photos are available at http://www.studentsforafreetibet.org/urgent.htm
or through SFT.

Students for a Free Tibet is a network of chapters at more than 650 high schools and universities working in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. Through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent direct action, SFT campaigns for Tibetans' fundamental right to political freedom. SFT empowers and trains youth as leaders in the worldwide movement for social justice.

• 116 Human Rights