Panchen Lama — nearly 31 years missing

Demonstration last year at the Chinese Embassy against the disappearance of the Panchen Lama. Photo: Tibet Support Group Netherlands.

Today, exactly 31 years ago, on 17 May 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognised the six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the 11th Panchen Lama. Three days later, the Panchen Lama and his family were taken by the Chinese authorities. Since then, he has not been seen in public and every independent trace of him is missing.

The case of the Panchen Lama has grown into a powerful symbol of Tibetan resistance against the systematic oppression of the Tibetan people. Under the policy of the Chinese government, Tibetan religion, language, culture and identity are being pressured to assimilate into the dominant Chinese culture and language.

The world’s youngest political prisoner is now 37 years old and, in three days, will have been missing for 31 years. His disappearance is not just about an abducted child — it also touches on the fundamental question of whether an atheist state has the right to interfere in a deeply spiritual and religious process that has been part of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition for centuries.

31 years without answers

In all those years, China has allowed no independent verification of the wellbeing or whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. The Chinese authorities installed their own candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, as an alternative Panchen Lama — a choice that is not recognised by the Tibetan Buddhist community.

The continued disappearance fits a broader pattern in which the Chinese state appropriates religious authority for itself. That pattern takes on added weight in light of the future recognition of the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, where Beijing likewise claims the final say.

Continued attention from the Netherlands

Since 1996, the Tibet Support Group Netherlands has campaigned for the release of the Panchen Lama. On 25 April 2026, TSG organised a demonstration at the Chinese Embassy in The Hague, marking his 37th birthday and once again drawing attention to his fate.

31 years without any sign of life underlines the need for sustained international attention to transparency about his whereabouts and wellbeing, and for the respect of religious freedom in Tibet.

We will not give up until the Panchen Lama is free. Join us and strengthen our voice against the violations of fundamental human rights in Tibet, including the ongoing disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama.