Dharamshala — Tibetans in Canada, the United States, Europe, India and Taiwan have organised demonstrations to pay tribute to the great sacrifice of Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan independence activist, who self-immolated in front of the UN headquarters to protest against the People’s Republic of China’s oppressive policies in Tibet and to demand an independence for Tibet, as he said, "cause of all problems for Tibetans are lack of an independence for Tibet."
Human Rights network for Tibet and Taiwan, Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Taiwan Association for Human Rights and several Taiwanese civil society organisations jointly organised a memorial service at 7PM, local time, on July 15, 2026, to pay tribute of Lobga Rangzen, who self-immolated in protest against the Chinese Communist Party’s so-called ‘Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress’.
Tibetans, activists from Tibet, Tibet-support NGOs, Hong Kong, East Turkestan and Taiwan—all affected by the CCP’s so-called “ethical unity law”, gathered at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, at local time, 7 PM, on July 15,2026, to mourn Lobga Rangzen, who self-immolated in front of UN headquarters in New York on July 2,2026, to protest against the Chinese government’s crackdown and oppressive policies in Tibet.
The activists also protested against the CCP’s law aimed at eliminating identities of Tibetans and other oppressed people. As Lobga Rangzen had said, the struggle must go on; thus, this gathering was not merely a tribute but, above all, an affirmation of "unity"—uniting to resist the tyranny of the CCP and uniting to oppose this harmful law.
The activists wrote, "The Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen (རང་བཙན་བློ་དགའ) real name Lobsang Palden; Rangzen means ‘independence’ in Tibetan) self-immolated at 5.59 pm (ET) on July 2, 2026, in front of the main entrance to the United Nations Headquarters in New York, holding the Tibetan national flag, in protest against Chinese tyranny and to appeal for the attention of the international community. This footage, streamed live from Loga Rangzen’s Facebook account, it breaks the hearts not only of Tibetans but of anyone with a conscience who witnesses it. The agony of being engulfed by flames is clinically recognised as one of the most intense and unbearable forms of pain—a torment that transcends human physiological limits—yet he remained standing upright until he collapsed at the very last moment."
Why did Lobga Rangzen, living in a free country, choose such an extreme form of protest—setting himself on fire to offer his body as a sacrifice for the cause of Tibet? On July 1, 2026, the CCP implemented the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress," Lobga Rangzen set himself on fire on July 2, 2026, to protest against the law.
These were his final words: “What we are doing today is preserving our language and our culture. That is why we must continue to dance when it is time to dance, and to sing when it is time to sing. For the purpose of all this is to enable the younger generation of Tibetans to embrace and pass on their own language and culture. We must not remain prisoners of grief or silence simply because of the actions of a single person. What we should truly mourn—is the loss of our own country (Tibet). Each of us should commit ourselves more fully to our cause. That is why, with my hands joined in prayer, I implore all of you: if you truly wish to mourn me, act in accordance with the wishes I have expressed here. I don’t want you to mourn for me, I want you to continue the struggle for Tibetan independence, because the lack of independence of Tibet is the root of all our problems. Bhoe Gyalo, Bhoe Rangzen Gyalo” [Victory to Tibet. Victory to Tibetan Independence]."
The Tibetan activits said, "Since 2009, there have been 159 self-immolations within Tibet; of these, 127 individuals are known to have died, while the fate of most of the others—who were forcibly taken away by military police—remains unknown. Outside Tibet (in India, Nepal, and the United States), a total of 11 Tibetans have self-immolated. The cumulative global total stands at 170 known cases, though there may be unreported incidents. While early self-immolators were primarily monks and nuns, the practice subsequently spread to all strata of Tibetan society—including nomads, farmers, students, intellectuals, mothers, and popular singers (such as Tsewang Norbu, who died by self-immolation in 2022)—with ages ranging from 15 to 81. The slogans shouted and the final messages or letters left behind by these individuals centered on key demands: the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Tibet, the need for Tibetan freedom, and protests against the Chinese Communist Party’s forced policies of Sinicization—which are driving the cultural extermination of Tibet—along with a desire to preserve Tibetan religion, language, and culture."
"These self-immolators were not driven by personal despair; rather, they sacrificed themselves through this extreme form of non-violence—an act that is peaceful and harms no one but the self—in an attempt to ignite international attention regarding the suffering of Tibet and to awaken a sense of unity among the Tibetan people," they added.
"We cannot bear to see—nor do we wish for—any more Tibetans sacrificing themselves in this way; the best course of action is for the world to heed the demands of the self-immolators and resist the atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party," the Tibetans urged.
Hundreds of Tibetans rallied in the streets of Mysuru and Bengaluru, in India, on July 15, 2025, to mark the second week of the death of Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan independence activist who self-immolated in front of the UN headquarters to protest against the People’s Republic of China’s oppressive policies in Tibet and to demand independence for Tibet. These peaceful demonstrators put forward three demands: the repeal of the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress," and the oppressive measures in Tibet; the closure of colonial-style boarding schools that targeting Tibetan children; and to pay tribute to Lobga Rangzen.
Tibetans, supporters of Tibet and the Tibetan Association of Germany, in collaboration with the Tibetan Initiative in Germany, organised a solidarity demonstration and protest outside the Chinese Embassy in Berlin, on July 15, 2026, to pay tribute to the Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen, who self-immolated to protest against the ongoing oppression of the Tibetan people and against the PRC's so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress."
