Letter to The Honorable Marco Rubio, Secretary of State

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Dear Secretary Rubio:

On behalf of the International Tibetan Media Organization (ITOM), I write to express our profound gratitude for the passage of recent funding legislation by Congress, signed into law by the President, which appropriates critical resources for Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA). We look forward to the prompt restoration of their Tibetan-language broadcast services.

As Freedom House has documented, Tibet ranks among the least free regions in the world—second only to North Korea. Tibetans are denied access to independent information and are subjected exclusively to official Chinese state propaganda. Attempts to access outside news are met with severe reprisals. Nevertheless, for over three decades, Tibetans have found ways to receive VOA and RFA’s Tibetan-language broadcasts—their principal window to the outside world—through which they have learned of the teachings and activities of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the welfare of the exile community, and the democratic governance of the Tibetan administration in exile.

ITOM is deeply committed to a free and democratic future for Tibet and believes that a free press will be indispensable to that future. For more than seventy years, Tibetan journalists in the free world have served a vital role in advancing the exile community’s understanding of democratic principles and in strengthening democratic institutions and governance.

Together with 147 international Tibet support organizations and eighteen Tibetan-American community organizations, we firmly believe that the swift restoration of Tibetan-language broadcasts will meaningfully advance the United States’ longstanding policy interests and commitments regarding Tibet. We look forward to constructive leadership from your Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues and to exploring how ITOM can best support America’s enduring commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy.

Respectfully yours,

Palden Gyal

President

International Tibetan Media Organization