Dharamshala — Members of the European Parliament called on Chinese government to release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet and reiterated their unwavering support for his release and disclose his whereabouts. Tibetans in New York and New Jersey organised a demonstration to raise awareness of the 11th Panchen Lama on the occasion of his 36th birthday.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, was recognised as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, in 1995 by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. However, three days after this recognition, he was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six, along with his father Kunchok Phuntso, his mother Dechen Choedron and his teacher Chadrel Rinpoche. They all disappeared since then, and even Tibetans, world leaders, members of parliament and the international community questioned his whereabouts and called on the Chinese government to release him. This year, April 25 celebrates his 36th birthday, and May 17, 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama. He is the World Youngest Political Prisoner.
April 25, 2025, is the 36th birthday of His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama, Jetsun Tenzin Gedun Yeshi Trinley Phuntsok Pal Sangpo (Gedhun Choekyi Nyima). The Central Tibetan Administration, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, the Monastery of the Panchen Lama and Tibetans around the world celebrated the 36th birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet.
On the occasion of the 36th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, members of the European Parliament have reiterated their unwavering support for his release and demanded that the Chinese government immediately disclose his whereabouts.
Tibetans from the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress and the Regional Tibetan Women's Association of New York and New Jersey, as well as Tashi Lhunpo monastery in USA, organised a demonstration to raise awareness of the 11th Panchen Lama, on the occasion of his 36th birthday, at Time Square, New York, USA, on April 25, 2025.
They distributed sweets to celebrate the 36th birthday of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, as well as posters about Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, to those present in Time Square, to raise awareness of the condition of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six, making him the world's youngest political prisoner. They also celebrated his 36th birthday by cutting a cake and holding a candlelight vigil in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York.
They demanded three-point demands:
1. Release the Panchen Lama and his families.
2. China to give concrete evidence that the 11th Panchen Lama Gendhun Choekyi Nyima is alive.
3. China to allow international agencies or human rights organizations to visit Gendhun Choekyi Nyima and his family.
