Tibetan man commits self-immolation outside UN to highlight Chinese repression

Responding to reports of the death of a Tibetan man following an apparent act of self-immolation outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director Sarah Brooks said:

"Our thoughts are with everyone who knew and loved the man who has died and the broader Tibetan community.

“Self-immolation as protest by Tibetans has persisted for many years, and it does not happen in a vacuum. It reflects the depth of desperation felt by people who see no other way to draw attention to ongoing human rights violations.

"This death comes just a day after China's Ethnic Unity Law entered into force, a law that brazenly pushes non-Han ethnic groups - including Tibetans, Uyghurs and Mongolian – towards a single state-defined national identity rather than protecting their distinct cultures and languages.

“This tragedy is a moment for all to reflect on the human cost of these policies: for the Chinese authorities to end their repressive policies in Tibet, including those entrenched by the Ethnic Unity Law, and for other governments to recognise it for the dangerous tool of repression that it is.

“The international community must not allow this death to pass without renewed scrutiny of the human rights crisis in Tibet. Chinese authorities must end their repression of Tibetans and allow independent access to the region for UN experts and other independent observers. They must also ensure there are no government reprisals against the family of the man who died, as has happened previously in response to self-immolations by Tibetans.”

Background

According to media reports and Tibetan organisations, a 52-year-old Tibetan man named Lobga Rangzen (also known as Lobsang Palden) died after an apparent act of self-immolation outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on 2 July. Described as a Tibetan activist, he was reportedly carrying a Tibetan flag and calling for freedom for Tibet before setting himself on fire.

On 1 July, China's new Ethnic Unity Law entered into force. Amnesty warned that the law would further institutionalise policies of forced assimilation targeting Tibetans, Uyghurs and other non-Han ethnic groups, and could strengthen the legal basis for transnational repression, targeting and violating fundamental freedoms of those peacefully advocating for minority rights outside China.

Amnesty, as well as Tibetan advocacy groups and UN experts, have repeatedly called on the Chinese authorities to end policies that violate Tibetans’ human rights, and will continue to urge China to grant meaningful and unfettered access to Tibet for UN experts and other independent observers.