Missing colleague of Tibetan filmmaker causes concern

The Committee to Protect Journalists expressed concern today for a missing Tibetan filmmaker whom colleagues fear may have been detained. "We are concerned about the whereabouts of Jigme Gyatso, who has been harassed and detained in the past for making a film," said Bob Dietz, CPJ Asia program coordinator. "All too often, Tibetan journalists are detained without due process, and Gyatso's disappearance is a reminder that even if they are freed, the fear of re-arrest is constant." Switzerland-based Tibetan film company Filming for Tibet last had contact with Jigme Gyatso on September 20, and the group's local contacts are concerned for his safety, their spokesperson Gyaljong Tsetrin told CPJ by email. Twice in the past, Chinese authorities briefly detained Gyatso for assisting documentarian Dhondup Wangchen shoot the 2008 film, "Leaving Fear Behind," and he lives under surveillance, the group said. Wangchen, who is serving a six year prison sentence for making the film, is one of CPJ's 2012 International Press Freedom Awardees.