The Free Tibet Campaign is an organisation based in London that is dedicated to establishing the right of Tibetans to determine their own government. It campaigns for an end to what Tibetans consider to be an occupation of their country by Chinese forces, and that the Tibetans' fundamental human rights be respected. It is independent of any governments and is funded by its members and supporters. (The PRC government asserts that Tibet is, and has been, a part of China, and that military actions taken in the 1950s and 1960s were for the sake of the Tibetan people themselves in order to liberate them from the feudalistic system of government administered by the Dalai Lama).

Structure

Free Tibet Campaign, established in 1988, is an independent membership organisation. All of their funding comes from individual supporters.

Staff

The Executive Committee determines the general policy of the organisation and guides the work of the campaign. As Free Tibet Campaign is a limited company, the members of the company (of which there are 20) elect the Executive Committee (currently 8 people).

The Free Tibet Campaign office consists of both staff and volunteers. There are currently the equivalent of seven paid full-time members of staff who are led by the Director, Alison Reynolds. Much of their work is dependent on the time and effort of their many volunteers, some of whom have specific roles or projects to work on while others assist with general office administration.

Membership

It should be noted that Free Tibet Campaign is not a charity, though they are a non-profit, non-governmental organisation. Due to the current laws in UK they are unable to apply for charity status, due to what is deemed to be the political nature of their work (the same applies for organisations like Amnesty International and Greenpeace).

By January 2004 Free Tibet Campaign had more than 17,000 supporters. For an annual subscription fee supporters receive their quarterly magazine plus regular mailings with updates on the organisation's activities. Supporters are able to become further involved by joining their Urgent Campaign Scheme, participating in actions and events and getting involved with their local group.

Members of the Urgent Campaigns Scheme receive immediate information on important cases needing their individual support. The majority of cases require letters, emails and/or faxes to be written to relevant authorities. On average there are 10-12 cases per year.

Approximately 50 Local Groups work on behalf of Free Tibet Campaign in local communities across the UK. Local groups are a vital link to the grassroots support for Tibet; spreading awareness in their communities by participating in Free Tibet Campaign's co-ordinated actions, by staging talks and fund raising events, and by promoting the work and membership of Free Tibet Campaign. Groups can vary from a single person co-ordinating activities in their area, to a committee of people with regular meetings. All local groups are legally and financially autonomous.

External links

• Free Tibet Website (http://www.freetibet.org/)