Golog Jigme is the most high-profile Tibetan former political prisoner and torture survivor to have recently escaped Tibet. His resistance, persecution, and escape in Chinese-occupied Tibet is both a remarkable personal story and a deep insight into Tibet under Chinese rule. Golok Jigme was jailed for producing the documentary “Leaving Fear Behind” – a film that captures Tibetans speaking frankly about the inhumanity of Chinese rule in Tibet. The film premiered in secret before a group of foreign journalists in Beijing prior to the opening of the Olympics in 2008. Both Jigme and the film’s co-producer, Dhondup Wangchen, were arrested for making the film and suffered brutal torture as a result. Jailed three times between 2008 and 2012, Golok Jigme eventually escaped Tibet and found political asylum in Switzerland.

Golog Jigme has continued his activism for Tibet since reaching exile. He has given testimony to the United Nations Human Rights Council and works closely with human rights groups to hold China accountable for its atrocities in Tibet.  Golog Jigme says: “My biggest hope is that a day will come for me to safely return to Tibet. In the meantime, my future plan is to be a voice for Tibetans inside Tibet, to bring their aspirations and difficulties to the world stage and make sure that governments, NGOs and individuals hear it.”