[2] In preparation for likely reprisals by the Chinese government, Dhondup Wangchen moved his wife, Lhamo Tso, and their four children to Dharamsala, India.

[5][6] They had completed filming and just smuggled the tapes out of Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, when riots erupted and began to spread through Tibetan-majority areas of China.

[6] As part of the government response that followed, both Jigme Gyatso and Dhondup Wangchen were detained on March 28 in Tongde, Qinghai Province.

[7] The 25-minute documentary resulting from Dhondup Wangchen and Jigme Gyatso's footage was described by The New York Times as "an unadorned indictment of the Chinese government".

[8] On 9 March 2012, the 53rd anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan uprising, a coalition of human rights and Tibetan activist groups calling for Dhondup Wangchen's release held a rally in New York City's Times Square; excerpts from Leaving Fear Behind were shown there on a twelve-foot video screen beneath the Xinhua Jumbotron.