Acccording to information received from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Dondup Wangchen has been refused an appeal by the communist Chinese regime. Along with other rights-based organizations, the CPJ had called upon the Xining City provincial court in Amdo (renamed by as so-called Qinghai Province following communist China’s invasion in 1950) to grant the documentary filmmaker an appeal against the sentence which was imposed December 28, 2009.
In a statement sent to Tibettruth the CPJ report:
The appeal period expired today (January 7), but the journalist was unable to file after being denied access to his chosen lawyer, according to his Switzerland-based film company, Filming for Tibet. His family has not been formally notified of his trial or the verdict, the company said in a statement. CPJ was unable to reach the filmmaker’s wife, Lhamo Tso, by phone.
Dhondup was arrested by Communist Chinese police March 2008, following completion of his documentary, “Leaving Fear Behind.,a film which exposed the odious realities of life in occupied Tibet. Since his detention concern has expressed. in terms of the injustice, censorship; and recently regarding concerns about Dhondup’s health and conditions in which he is being held. Bob Deitz CPJ Asia Program Coordinator reported that:
“The detention and trial of Dhondup Wangchen have been secretive and against Chinese law, Chinese authorities should not persecute a journalist for the straightforward act of filmmaking. He should be allowed to appeal this unjust sentence.”

Source : Tibettruth