Melody in Prison: Ngawang Choephel
	UPDATE 28 July 1997

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy launched a signature campaign in May 1997 appealing to the Chinese authorities to allow Sonam Dekyi to visit Tibet to see her son. Together with the Tibetan Women's Association, the Centre has announced that a total of 6439 signatures from 22 countries were collected and these were submitted to the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi this morning.

According to a statement released jointly by the two organizations today, "Sonam Dekyi has sent a number of letters and has made several personal visits to the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, India, requesting that she be granted a visa to visit Tibet in order to see her son. To date there has been no response from the concerned authorities at the Embassy." The Centre adds that she is now 60 years old and, "as a result of her son's imprisonment, her health is deteriorating day by day and she is presently suffering from tuberculosis. She feels that she will not live long. Her last and only wish is to see her son before she dies."

The Centre and the Tibetan Women's Association further state:

The incommunicado detention and sentence of Ngawang Choephel is a source of great concern both to Sonam Dekyi and to all Tibetans in exile who travel to Tibet each year to see relatives or for pilgrimage. By denying Ngawang Choephel the right to have contact with his family, China is also acting in violation of international law. Article 37 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners declares: "Prisoners shall be allowed under necessary supervision to communicate with their family and reputable friends at regular intervals, both by correspondence and by receiving visits."

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy and the Tibetan Women's Association appeal to the international community to join the campaign to make a mother's last wish a reality. We call on the Chinese authorities to grant Mrs Sonam Dekyi a visa to travel to Tibet and to abide by international standards in allowing her to visit her son in prison.