Transforming our world
through nonviolent action
through nonviolent action
The 10th Panchen Lama, a vocal advocate of Tibet cultural and identity, passed away mysteriously in 1989. On May 14, 1995, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, aged six, was recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet.
Three days later, on May 17, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family were ‘removed’ from their home by Chinese authorities. Their whereabouts are still unknown.
Shortly after Gendun Choekyi Nyima’s detention, in December 1995, the Chinese government installed another young boy, Gyaincain Norbu, in his place. For many years this puppet Panchen Lama was kept hidden; but for the past few years, Chinese authorities have used Gyaltsen Norbu as a mouthpiece for their propaganda campaign against the Dalai Lama.
In May 1996, the Chinese government admitted for the first time that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family were under “protection.”
Tibetans continue to revere Gendun Choekyi Nyima as a strong figure for Tibetan identity and nationhood. In June of 2012, Jigme Dolma, just 17-years-old, took to the streets in Tibet issuing flyers and shouting slogans for the release of the Panchen Lama. She was severely beaten and handed a 3-year prison sentence.
On April 8, 2011, the United Nations’ Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances publicly stated: “They [the Chinese authorities] have continually refused to divulge any information about him or his whereabouts, making his case an enforced disappearance.”
His Holiness the Panchen Lama turned 35 years of age on April 25, 2024. This should be an occasion of great celebration for Tibetans everywhere; but instead we will mark this occasion in protest and with sadness as the Panchen Lama has been a prisoner of the Chinese government for 29 years. The abduction of the Panchen Lama provides a preview of China’s plan to interfere in the eventual reincarnation of the Dalai Lama.
Sign here to demand the Panchen Lama’s release now!