SAN FRANCISCO — Just two days before the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a Tibetan activist, who was protesting China's human rights policies, was injured when she fell 15 feet off the roof of the Chinese Consulate while staging a mock hanging on Wednesday, August 6.

According to media reports, two women were dressed in all black and
strung a rope from the roof of the consulate, and staged a mock hanging
while holding banners that read "Stop the Killing in Tibet." Protesters from
the activist group, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), were outraged when
Chinese Consulate officials allegedly cut the rope from which 22-year-old
activist, Nyendak Wangden, was hanging, causing her to fall more than
15 feet, hitting the balcony below her. In a statement released by SFT,
activists expressed their emotions about the incident and relayed their
side of story. "Wangden was staging a symbolic mock-hanging from the
consulate roof to draw attention to China's occupation of Tibet and its
brutal crackdown against Tibetans in the lead up to the 2008 Beijing
Olympics," said SFT on August 9.

The SFT also reports that another activist was on the roof to ensure the
safety of Wangden, Brihannala Morgan, 26, of Oakland. Morgan was
reportedly accosted by consular officials and struck with a metal pipe.
Ignoring Morgan's pleas of non-violent protest, SFT reports that a
consular official proceeded to cut the rope from which Wangden was
hanging from, resulting in her fall. Wangden was then removed by the
San Francisco Fire Department and taken to San Francisco General
Hospital. She reportedly only suffered a fractured wrist. Both women
were held overnight in federal prison and later released on bond, but
face federal charges with a maximum sentence of up to six months in
prison and a fine, according to SFT.

Three other SFT activists also participated in the protest on Wednesday,
Sabba Saleem Syal, Megan Swoboda, and Tenzin Khando chained
themselves to the entrance of the Chinese consulate with a banner that
read, "Tibetans are dying for freedom." The SFT activist group was
founded in New York City in 1994 by a group of Tibetans, students, and
other supporters. With an international network present in more than 35
countries, SFT has also staged other protests around the world in light
of the 2008 Olympics.

San Francisco police, the State Department and the U.S. attorney's office
are currently conducting a joint investigation of the incident. However,
authorities have not been able to confirm the allegations that foul play
was indeed involved.