Demonstration for the Release of the 11th Panchen Lama
Today, 25 April, dozens of Tibetans and Tibet supporters gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy on the occasion of the 36th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, one of the world’s youngest political prisoners. At the age of six, just days after his recognition by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama, he was abducted by the Chinese government. Since then, there has been no independent confirmation of his well-being or whereabouts. For nearly three decades, China has kept him hidden—a child, imprisoned because he represents the spiritual heritage of his homeland Tibet.
The case of the Panchen Lama has become the symbol of China’s systematic oppression of the Tibetan people—of their religion, their language, their culture, and their future. While China nominally subscribes to the rights of children and religious freedom through international treaties such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, it flouts these obligations in practice. That is why we demand compliance from China: transparency, justice, and his immediate release.
During the demonstration, we also raised our voices against China’s growing interference in the recognition of reincarnations of Tibet’s spiritual leaders—including that of the Dalai Lama. The threat that the Chinese state will meddle with the succession of the Dalai Lama is almost inevitable.
Furthermore, we called for an independent international investigation into the suspicious death of Tulku Hungkar Rinpoche, who recently died in detention in Vietnam and was visited by Chinese police officers. His death raises serious questions about the safety of exiled Tibetan clergy and China’s transnational aggression, which is taking increasingly severe forms.
More than 50 people participated in the demonstration, including many young Tibetans who are growing up in the Netherlands but feel deeply connected to their spiritual homeland Tibet. The demonstration was jointly organized by the Tibet Support Group, the Tibetan Community, the International Campaign for Tibet, and Students for a Free Tibet.