Police in New York confirmed that a man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters. Activists and a media outlet of exiled Tibetans identified him as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence.
Incident Details
A New York City police department spokesperson said officers found the man badly burned after responding to an emergency call at about 6:30 p.m. ET. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police did not name the man or provide a potential motive, and the investigation is ongoing.
Voice of Tibet, a media outlet of exiled Tibetans, identified the man as Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen. The outlet reported that he “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity.”
Background of the Activist
According to local news site amNewYork, Rangzen worked as an Uber driver and went to the scene with a Tibetan flag. Fellow Uber driver Lobsang Paljor told the news site that he knew Rangzen from gatherings in the Tibetan community. Paljor said Rangzen “was enraged by the restrictions the Chinese government had placed on his countrymen.”
Context of Tibetan Grievances
The incident occurred shortly after China’s new ethnic unity law went into effect this week. The law creates a “shared” national identity among China’s 55 ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, some of whom chafe under Chinese governance. The US and the European Union have expressed concern about the law, which gives Beijing the legal basis to take action against people outside its borders. Tibetans around the world have opposed the law.
Tibetans have previously committed acts of self-immolation in protest against Beijing’s policies in Tibet and nearby regions with large Tibetan populations. China seized control of Tibet in 1950, describing it as a “peaceful liberation” from feudalistic serfdom. International human rights groups and exiles routinely condemn what they call China’s oppressive rule in Tibetan areas, but China rejects such assessments.
Ethnic minority issues are highly sensitive in China, with Tibetans and other minorities under heavy surveillance for any sign of alleged “separatism.” Beijing has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet since Xi Jinping became president in 2012.
Reactions
Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, described Rangzen as “a tireless advocate for Tibet” and said she was “deeply saddened” by his death. The International Campaign for Tibet reports that there were more than 150 self-immolations by Tibetans between 2009 and 2022, including 10 while in exile.
