Andre Yoskowitz
26 Aug 2008 11:25
After being blocked for a few days by the Chinese government, Apple's iTunes platform is back up and running in China but with any pro-Tibet downloads still unavailable.
The pro-Tibet download is what is suspected of having the service shut down last week although the Chinese government has not publicly stated why the platform was down.
The album, "Songs for Tibet," was made by the Art of Peace Foundation, an organization that supports Tibetan independence. The album has songs from various artists including Dave Matthews Band and Sting as well as a large speech by the exiled Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama.
Michael Wohl, executive director of the Art of Peace Foundation added that the CD was created to showoff the limits of free expression in China and that over 40 US athletes in Beijing for the Olympics had downloaded the CD to protest the government.
Lucie Morillon, the U.S. representative for the advocacy group Without Borders, added that the "temporary inaccessibility of iTunes and continuing unavailability of "Songs for Tibet" is an example of the intolerance shown by the Chinese authorities toward Tibetan culture and dissident voices."