Tibetan activist dies after setting himself on fire outside UN headquarters

Content warning: This story contains language that readers may find disturbing.

A Tibetan activist died Thursday after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Lobsang Palden, popularly known as Lobga Rangzen, a longtime Tibetan activist based in New York, died at Bellevue Hospital after succumbing to his injuries, Jamphel Choesang, president of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey, told Radio Free Asia.

The self-immolation comes one day after China’s new ethnic unity law went into effect, with critics warning that the law brings accelerated forced assimilation and cultural erasure of Tibetans and Uyghurs. It also brings fears of Beijing’s increasing transnational repression and its ability to stifle dissident voices overseas.

“The unfolding genocide inside Tibet and the enforcement of the draconian ‘Ethnic Unity and Progress Law’ on July 1 are what drove Lobga Rangzen to this tragic decision,” Penpa Tsering, head of the Central Tibetan Administration said in a released statement on Friday.

Rangzen was a well-known Tibetan activist who participated in demonstrations and campaigns calling for Tibetan freedom and raising awareness of human rights issues under Chinese rule.

Before the incident, Rangzen posted a Facebook video where he spoke about the situation in Tibet and the importance of efforts to preserve Tibetan language and culture. He also criticized Chinese government policies in Tibet, which he described as an “erasure” of Tibetan identity, and urged Tibetans in exile to increase their efforts in their struggle.

Content warning: Below is language that readers may find disturbing.

In a subsequent Facebook livestream post, Rangzen propped the camera on the sidewalk and walked a few steps to a traffic median across from the U.N. building and placed a large Tibetan flag on a traffic post. Moments later, he set himself on fire. In the video, cars were seen driving past on First Avenue, honking their horns. Rangzen fell to the ground. Two men in security uniforms reached him a minute and 10 seconds later with fire extinguishers.

Tibetans have previously committed acts of self-immolation to protest against Beijing’s policies in Tibet and regions with large Tibetan populations in exile.

Penpa Tsering said that from 2009 to around 2022, roughly 157 Tibetans have self-immolated inside Tibet, referring to this act as “offering of the body” for the Tibetan cause.

Thupten Choenyi, a friend of Lobga Rangzen, told Radio Free Asia: “About 15 minutes before he set himself on fire, I had a video call with him on WhatsApp. It was around 5:30 P.M. Unlike our previous conversations, he spoke very quietly and sounded deeply disappointed. He told me, ‘I think China will never listen to us.’”

“He was smoking during the call, and I told him not to smoke. He replied that he doesn’t drink, but he does smoke. He was also sipping from a Coke bottle, and his T-shirt was wet. I asked him where he was, and he said he was in front of the United Nations.”

“Then he suddenly asked, ‘Can I take a screenshot of our video call?’ I said yes, and he sent it to me immediately. A short time later, he set himself on fire. He also called a few of his close friends before carrying out the act. I am very sad right now.”

Penpa Tsering, attending the International Tibetan Youth Conference in Dharamsala, India, said that Rangzen had always carried the Tibetan cause and devoted his time to it in New York. He said that wherever it happens, inside or outside Tibet, those who give their lives for the Tibetan cause must be remembered. He announced that the Kashag (cabinet of the Central Tibetan Administration) had met that morning to organize a day of memorial prayers.

Sonam Tso, who was among more than 100 participants at the conference, told RFA, “It is heartbreaking to hear of his death, yet I hope it will help more people around the world learn about Tibet and the Tibetan cause.”

Tibetans gathered outside the United Nations headquarters for a candlelight vigil and prayers following Rangzen’s death Thursday evening.

As news of the passing of Rangzen spread, Tibetan communities including groups in Dharamsala, Australia, Taiwan and elsewhere in the United States have begun holding prayer gatherings in his remembrance.

Responding to the immolation at a daily Beijing news conference on Friday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Tibet has been an inalienable part of the country’s territory since ancient times and Beijing believes “relevant countries will handle the matter in accordance with domestic laws.”

Additional reporting by Dickey Kundol, Tenzin Dhonyoe, Tashi Wangchuk, and Kalden Lodoe. Contributions from Reuters. Edited by Charlie Dharapak.