The International Campaign for Tibet and supporters worldwide are urging the Chinese Communist Party to release the 11th Panchen Lama promptly and uphold his rights under Chinese laws and international obligations. The boy, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, was taken by Chinese authorities in 1995 after being recognized by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnated Panchen Lama, a significant figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Despite celebrating his recent birthday, neither the Panchen Lama nor his family have been seen publicly since their abduction.
ICT President Tencho Gyatso highlighted the tragic history of the Panchen Lama’s abduction, emphasizing the CCP’s continued detention of the religious leader and his family. Gyatso called upon international leaders, including President Trump and Secretary Rubio, to intervene and urge Chinese officials to release the Panchen Lama immediately and cease their interference in Tibetan cultural and religious affairs. The CCP’s silence on the Panchen Lama’s whereabouts is viewed as part of its broader strategy to suppress Tibetan traditions and enforce control over religious practices.
Following the abduction of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, Chinese authorities installed another Tibetan boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, in his place, a move rejected by Tibetans and the global community. ICT condemned China’s recent actions, including the implementation of the ‘Ethnic Unity and Progress Law’ and the 15th Five-Year Plan, as further attempts to undermine human rights and erode Tibet’s cultural identity. The CCP’s prolonged occupation of Tibet, an independent nation historically, has been a subject of international concern for over six decades, with ongoing refusal to engage in meaningful discussions with Tibetan leaders or allow the Dalai Lama to return home.
