PRESS RELEASE 

Congressman Jim McGovern for the Second District of Massachusetts

The United States House of Representatives

Washington, May 26, 2026

Tags: Foreign Policy , Human Rights

Today, U.S. Representatives James P. McGovern (MA-02) and Michael McCaul (TX-10) introduced legislation to strengthen the United States’s commitment to the aspirations of the Tibetan people for human rights and dignity. The ‘‘Assuring the Future of Tibet Act of 2026” would empower the U.S. government to continue its engagement with the Central Tibetan Administration after the 14^th Dalai Lama has passed.

“Congress has a long-standing abiding interest in resolving the dispute between Tibet and China,” said Congressman McGovern. “Sadly, the Dalai Lama won’t be with us forever. We must ensure that the U.S. government has the authority and the tools to continue its advocacy for the fundamental human rights of the Tibetan people. Essential to this effort, we must support the Central Tibetan Administration as the legitimate, democratically elected representative of the Tibetan people.

“Decades after the Dalai Lama and his people fled the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution on a perilous journey to India, the CCP continues to threaten Tibetans’ faith and freedom,” said Congressman McCaul. “As I promised his Holiness when I visited Dharamshala, the United States will always with stand Tibetans in their pursuit of self-determination. I’m proud to support this important bill to permanently cement our commitment to the Tibetan people and guarantee unbreakable ties with their democratic leadership.”

The legislation:

• Makes it U.S. policy to maintain engagement with the Tibetan people directly and through their democratically elected leadership and religious and cultural leaders;
• States that that the Central Tibetan Administration represents continuity of governance of the Tibetan people as established by the Dalai Lama;
• Supports the Tibetan people’s free exercise of their fundamental and universal human rights under international law, including the right to self-determination; and
• Affirms commitment to a resolution of the dispute between Tibet and China as a matter of strategic interest to the United States.

To carry out its objectives, the legislation directs the U.S. government to:

• Advocate for the Central Tibetan Administration to be given observer status within the United Nations system and in relevant international bodies and groupings;
• Grant officials of the Central Tibetan Administration with appropriate senior levels of engagement and diplomatic courtesies by the U.S. government, possibly to include the extension of diplomatic security and privileges and immunities.

The full text of the legislation can be found here.

The post McGovern, McCaul Introduce Legislation to Assure Continued Engagement with the Tibetan People After the Dalai Lama first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

– By Tenzin Nyidon for Phayul, 25 May 2026

DHARAMSHALA, May 25: United States Congressman Jim McGovern and Michael McCaul introduced a new bipartisan bill in the U.S. House of Representatives, directing the U.S. Secretary of State to advocate for the inclusion and recognition of the Tibetan government in exile, known officially as the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

The proposed legislation, introduced on May 21 under the title “H.R. 8982 — To direct the Secretary of State to advocate for the inclusion and recognition of the Central Tibetan Administration, and for other purposes,” has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for review.

The bill was introduced by McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and McGovern, a long-time congressional advocate for Tibet and sponsor of several Tibet-related legislations. While the full text of the bill has not yet been publicly released, available information indicates that the legislation calls on the U.S. State Department to elevate official recognition and engagement with the CTA.

Under the U.S. legislative process, the bill will first undergo examination by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where lawmakers may review its provisions, hold discussions, and recommend amendments. If approved by the committee, the legislation will proceed to the full House of Representatives for debate and voting.

Should the bill secure passage in the House, it would then move to the United States Senate for a similar process of committee review, debate, and voting. The legislation would become law only after being passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the President of the United States.

The introduction of H.R. 8982 marks the latest bipartisan congressional effort aimed at strengthening U.S. engagement on Tibet-related issues and support for the Tibetan exile administration based in Dharamshala, India.

The bill follows a series of bipartisan congressional initiatives on Tibet over the years. In recent decades, the U.S. Congress has passed several Tibet-related legislations aimed at supporting Tibetan human rights, religious freedom, cultural preservation, and dialogue between Beijing and Tibetan representatives. Notable among them are the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002, which formalized U.S. policy support for Tibetans, and the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020, which strengthened U.S. backing for the Tibetan people’s right to choose the Dalai Lama’s succession without Chinese government interference. More recently, the Resolve Tibet Act reaffirmed U.S. support for resolving the Tibet-China conflict through dialogue and countering Beijing’s narratives on Tibet. Click here to read the original report on Phayul.

The post US Lawmakers Introduce Bill Urging Greater Recognition of Tibetan Govt. in Exile first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

Press Statement

Tommy Pigott, Spokesperson, The U.S. Department of State (.gov), 18 May 2026

Yesterday was the 31st anniversary of the disappearance of the Tibetan religious leader known as the Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima.  Days after the Dalai Lama recognised this child as an important future Tibetan Buddhist leader, Chinese authorities disappeared him and his family.  He was six years old.

Chinese authorities should immediately release Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family and stop persecuting Tibetans or others in China for their religious beliefs.

The United States supports religious freedom for Tibetans, and the freedom to preserve their unique cultural and linguistic identity.

Tibetan Buddhists, like members of all religious communities, should have the ability to freely select their own leaders – like the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama – according to their beliefs and without party-state interference.

The post Marking 31 Years Since the Panchen Lama’s Disappearance first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

Tighter policies in schools reflect the ‘narrowed’ tolerance towards Tibet from the Chinese state

– By Will Barker for The Week, 11 May 2026

A new report by Human Rights Watch argues that the compulsory use of Chinese as the primary language in schools in Tibet raises “serious concerns under international human rights law”.

Detailing the effects of the “Children’s Speech Harmonization Plan” five years ago, as well as more recent updates to the “National Common Language Law”, the organisation argues that measures are marginalising Tibetan identity to the point of erasure.

“International concern about these developments has grown,” said Jianli Yang in The Diplomat. These language laws fit into a pattern in recent years of “intensified policies” aimed to “reshape” Tibetan identity through “cultural control”.

‘Eroding’ Tibetan culture

Both politically and legally, “China is steadily narrowing the space for minority autonomy in education, language, and religion”, said The Diplomat. In December last year, the National People’s Congress revised the “National Common Language Law”. It now requires Mandarin to be the “fundamental teaching language” and mandates standardised textbooks throughout the education system. The codification of assimilation policies “marks a new phase” in Beijing’s strategy: it seeks “not merely to manage ethnic diversity but to fundamentally reshape it”.

Videos from Tibet on social media have shown young children “not even able to say their names in Tibetan, pronouncing them as if they were Chinese”, said Kris Cheng in The Guardian. Children, who have been brought up speaking Tibetan stop speaking it within a year of beginning school.

Parents face a “dilemma”: education in Chinese improves employment and career prospects, but it often comes at the cost of associating Tibetan with “social disadvantage”. Some are sending their children to Tibetan language classes in the school holidays, but authorities have been “cracking down” by “banning unsanctioned schools and classes in many places”.

Perhaps the most “profound policy shift” from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Tibet was the 2021 “Children’s Speech Harmonization Plan”, said Human Rights Watch. For the first time, it mandated the use of Chinese language as a “medium of instruction” in all preschools. Though not explicitly banning Tibetan in educational settings, it effectively “downgrades” the freedom for minorities to develop and continue their language.

The post China’s Assault on the Tibetan Language first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

Policy for Kindergarten Children Imposes Chinese-Medium Environment, Indoctrination

– By Human Rights Watch, 4 May 2026

• A 2021 Ministry of Education directive—the Children’s Speech Harmonization plan—mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction and care, including in ethnic minority areas.
• By severely limiting Tibetan-language education in early childhood, and imposing ideological indoctrination on kindergarten children, the Chinese government is speeding up its erasure of Tibetan language and culture.
• The Chinese government should end political indoctrination in early childhood and ensure that Tibetan children are able to learn and use Tibetan in kindergartens. Foreign governments should press the Chinese government to free detained advocates of Tibetan language and allow independent access to Tibetan areas.

(New York) – The Chinese government is imposing Chinese-medium education and ideological indoctrination on kindergarten children in its efforts to force Tibetans to assimilate, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 72-page report, “Start with the Youngest Children: China Uses Preschools to ‘Integrate’ Tibetans,” documents that a 2021 Ministry of Education directive—the Children’s Speech Harmonization plan—mandates the use of standard Mandarin Chinese for all preschool instruction in ethnic minority areas. While the kindergartens in theory can still offer supplementary sessions for minority children in their own language, minorities no longer have the legal authority to do so. By severely limiting Tibetan-language education in early childhood, a stage critical for language acquisition and identity formation, the Chinese government is speeding up its erasure of Tibetan language and culture.

“The Chinese government, by targeting kindergarteners, is accelerating its campaign to deprive Tibetan children of their mother tongue and their culture and identity,” said Maya Wang, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “This policy is not about education quality, but about forcibly assimilating Tibetans at an early age into a Han-centric national identity.”

The report is based on an analysis of Chinese laws and policy documents, and academic and media sources. Human Rights Watch also interviewed seven Tibetans and scholars with recent, direct knowledge of conditions in Tibetan areas, where access is extremely restricted.

Human Rights Watch found that many Tibetan children emerge from preschool unable or unwilling to speak Tibetan, even with family members. Parents reported that within weeks or months of starting kindergarten, children switch almost entirely to Chinese.

The 2021 Harmonization Plan is the culmination of decades-long policy shifts reducing mother-tongue education for minorities. Since the 1984 Regional National Autonomy Law, China has moved in five stages to mandatory Chinese-instruction at progressively younger ages. While this process had been completed in primary and secondary schools, kindergartens were long the last setting where Tibetan could still be used as a main language of instruction.

In 2021, the Education Ministry ordered all kindergartens in minority areas to use the “national common language,” or standard Chinese, for all teaching and care activities. Official references to “bilingual education” disappeared from policy documents. A series of legal rulings, education laws, and government policies eliminated remaining legal and policy space for minority language education while embedding political and cultural indoctrination throughout the school system, including at the preschool level. This culminated in the 2026 Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which imposes legal penalties for anyone deemed to “obstruct” the learning and use of Chinese.

Although preschool is not compulsory in China, Human Rights Watch found that in Tibetan areas it has become obligatory in practice. Primary schools in urban areas increasingly require proof of kindergarten attendance for enrollment, leaving parents little choice but to send their children to Chinese-language preschools.

The authorities also require kindergartens to encourage or pressure parents and children to speak Chinese in their homes and to submit videos of them doing so. Government-appointed examiners have tested preschoolers’ Mandarin skills through interviews and observation, despite regulations that prohibit examinations and other academic pressure in kindergartens.

The language policy is paired with intensified political and cultural indoctrination. Preschool curriculums in Tibetan areas increasingly emphasize “patriotic education,” loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, and identification as members of the “Chinese nation.” Children are taught to celebrate Han Chinese festivals, recite Chinese classics, sing patriotic songs, and participate in activities glorifying the military and revolutionary history. Tibetan Buddhism and Tibetan cultural practices—core elements of cultural and ethnic identities—are absent from the curriculum.

The accelerating language loss among ever younger Tibetans has profound cultural consequences, Human Rights Watch said. These include weakening communication between children and elders, altering family dynamics, reduced transmission of religious and cultural knowledge, and the growing perception among children that Tibetan language and identity are inferior.

China’s policies contravene its obligations under international human rights law, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees children belonging to minorities the right to use their own language and obligates states to ensure education respects children’s cultural identity.

The Chinese government should reverse policies that mandate Chinese-medium education in preschools, restore genuine bilingual education options, and end political indoctrination in early childhood settings, Human Rights Watch said. Foreign governments and the UN should also press the Chinese government to comply with its international obligations and to allow independent access to Tibetan areas and schools.

“Language loss on the scale taking place in Tibet is not accidental – it is Chinese government policy,” Wang said. “Unless China’s practices change, an entire generation of Tibetan children will grow up cut off from their own language, culture, and heritage.”

Selected Quotes:

“Education must penetrate the blood and reach into the soul; it must be grasped from an early age, starting in kindergarten. We must do a good job with patriotic education, planting the seeds of love for China deep in every child’s heart, and ensuring that the core socialist values take root and grow in the minds of the next generation. All ethnic groups must teach children to develop a sense of belonging to the Chinese nation, so they do not only identify with their own ethnicity, but first and foremost recognize themselves as part of the Chinese nation.” 

– Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping, in a speech at the Central Nationalities Work Conference on September 28, 2014.

“This is not only about not teaching the Tibetan language. … It is carefully done to manage the way children think and believe.… The problem is that the kindergarten platform is designed in favor of the Han Chinese nationality – the way you talk, the topic, how to recognize objects, any knowledge that is introduced. Not even a whiff of the Tibetan way of thinking is there. The result is that when the children come out of kindergarten at age 6, even if both parents are Tibetan, the children think that they are Chinese.… In a decade or two, maybe the culture will die, and be only in a museum.” 

– Tibetan official involved in cultural policy implementation, interviewed by Human Rights Watch in mid-2025.

“Even though she is still able to understand it [Tibetan], she only answers in Chinese. After some time, she managed to give me some simple (single word) answers in Tibetan, but it was obvious she was making a great effort to do so…. There are two preschools in the town, and the mother chose the one where Tibetan language is not completely banned: the children are only spoken to in Chinese, but they are allowed to speak Tibetan in the playground.” 

– Scholar who specializes in linguistics, interviewed in writing by Human Rights Watch on March 5 and 6, 2025.

“All kids below 10 speak Chinese to each other. They do not speak Tibetan to each other. If you force them to, they speak Tibetan, but how well depends on the parents. It’s a lost cause – and it’s happened in one generation.” 

– Tibetan Studies scholar, interviewed by Human Rights Watch via text message on October 10, 2025.

The post China: ‘Harmonization Plan’ Erasing Tibetan Language first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

– By International Campaign for Tibet, 1 May 2026

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rick Scott (R-FL) introduced legislation on April 29 that directly confronts the Chinese Communist Party’s severe human rights violations and abuses in Tibet.

The Tibet Atrocities Determination Act would require the Secretary of State to investigate China’s repressive actions in Tibet and publicly report on whether those atrocities meet the criteria for genocide or crimes against humanity.

In a statement, Senator Scott said the Chinese government “has engaged in systematic killings, torture, forced sterilization, forced displacement, government sanctioned kidnapping, and a myriad of other crimes against humanity in its oppression of the Tibetan people.” Senator Merkley added, “As the Chinese government continues to ignore the rights of the Tibetan people under international law, we must be clear that these crimes will not be ignored.”

“China is accustomed to hiding its abuses in Tibet and discrediting its victims. Today the US Congress takes another step towards ending China’s impunity,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso. “I appreciate Senator Scott and Senator Merkley’s determination to shine a light on these atrocities, and I encourage Secretary Rubio to thoroughly investigate China’s acts in Tibet when the bill becomes law.”

The bill includes a requirement to consult with “experts in Tibetan culture, religion, language, and internationally recognized human rights; nongovernmental organizations, including Tibetan advocacy groups; and members of the Tibetan diaspora” and to issue recommendations for United States policy responses, “including potential sanctions, including, but not limited to, visa restrictions and diplomatic actions.”

History of atrocities in Tibet

Chinese rule in Tibet has been marked by serious human rights violations and abuses against the Tibetan people from the very beginning.

The International Commission of Jurists found “prima facie evidence that the Chinese Communists have by acts of genocide attempted to destroy the Tibetan nation” in a 1959 report, while the Central Tibetan Administration states that China’s occupation of Tibet is “marked by systematic destruction of monasteries, the suppression of religion, denial of political freedom, widespread arrest and imprisonment and massacre of innocent men, women and children.”

Human rights reports issued by the State Department have consistently identified “significant human rights issues,” including credible reports of “disappearances; torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment; arbitrary arrest or detention; transnational repression against individuals located in another country; serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including censorship; and restrictions of religious freedom.”

Should the Tibet Atrocities Determination Act pass, the Secretary of State will be able to draw on these organizations, reports, and experts, among a plethora of others.

The post New US Senate Bill Would Require State Department to Examine China’s Atrocities in Tibet first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

Press Relase

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile, Bylakuppe, Karnataka | April 25, 2026

On April 25, 2026 (Saturday), the Tibetan community in exile solemnly and joyously commemorated the 37th birthday of His Holiness the 11th Panchen Lama, Jetsun Tenzin Gedun Yeshe Trinley Phuntsok Palzangpo (Gedhun Choekyi Nyima), at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Bylakuppe, South India. The grand ceremony brought together spiritual devotion, cultural expression, and renewed global advocacy—reflecting both reverence for a sacred lineage and an unwavering commitment to justice, identity, and truth.

The event was graced by eminent dignitaries representing the highest institutions of the Central Tibetan Administration. The Chief Guest was Sikyong Penpa Tsering. Special Guests included Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Chief Justice Yeshe Wangmo of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, and Cabinet Secretary Lobsang Jinpa from the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. The gathering also welcomed senior monastery officials, regional and settlement representatives from Bylakuppe, members of various monasteries and NGOs, and the Tibetan public. Their presence underscored the enduring institutional unity and moral clarity surrounding the Panchen Lama’s legacy and the Tibetan cause.

The day began with elaborate monastic prayers invoking blessings for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for the well-being and swift reappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama. The rhythmic chants of monks, accompanied by traditional instruments, filled the monastery with a deeply contemplative and sacred atmosphere.

During the formal ceremony, the Abbot Rinpoche of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery read an official statement marking the occasion. Addresses were delivered by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Speaker Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, and Cabinet Secretary Lobsang Jinpa. In his speech, the Speaker highlighted the unique spiritual teacher–student relationship between the Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama, and paid tribute to the immense contributions of the 10th Panchen Lama, Choekyi Gyaltsen, to Tibetan religion, language, and culture. He also underscored the grave concern surrounding the disappearance of the 11th Panchen Lama—recognized by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and taken into custody by Chinese authorities over 31 years ago—whose whereabouts remain unknown, raising ongoing global concern and mistrust.

Other speakers included respected scholars and teachers such as Nga Sangye Tendar, Kalzang Lhamo, and Druk Konchok, who reflected on the Panchen Lama’s spiritual and historical significance.

A central highlight of the event was the reaffirmation of the Panchen Lama’s global symbolic importance. It was announced that the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USA, had awarded its prestigious 2025 Democracy Service Medal to the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima. The medal was formally displayed to the public by the Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, serving as a powerful symbol of international solidarity and recognition of the Panchen Lama as an enduring figure representing religious freedom, human rights, and resistance against cultural erasure.

The ceremony also marked a significant intellectual and cultural milestone with the release and inauguration of several important publications. Among these was the historic “70,000-Character Petition” authored by the 10th Panchen Lama—one of the most courageous critiques of Chinese policies in Tibet—alongside contemporary scholarly works that contextualize its ongoing relevance. Another major publication was an authoritative biography by the distinguished scholar Kachen Lobzang Zotpa, a former student of the 10th Panchen Lama and former Abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, whose work highlights the enduring spiritual and cultural ties between India and Tibet.

Students of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery actively participated in the celebrations by delivering speeches in Tibetan, English, and Hindi on the life and legacy of the Panchen Lama. The event also recognized academic excellence, with outstanding students honored for achievements in poetry, essay writing, debates, and examinations. Awards were presented to top performers in annual tantric debates, written exams, and major scholastic assessments. Tokens of appreciation were also offered to the chief and special guests.

The celebrations concluded with vibrant cultural performances, including traditional Tibetan songs and dances presented by students and members of the local community. These performances served as living expressions of a resilient culture that continues to thrive despite displacement and adversity.

The ceremony concluded with a formal vote of thanks from the monastery administration.

The 37th birthday celebration of the 11th Panchen Lama at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Exile reaffirmed his enduring significance as a beacon of faith, identity, and freedom. It also highlighted the broader challenges faced by the Tibetan people in preserving their cultural and spiritual heritage in an evolving global landscape.

As the international community continues to grapple with questions of justice, cultural preservation, and human dignity, the legacy of the Panchen Lama stands as a powerful reminder of the quiet strength of resilience and the enduring hope for truth and reconciliation. The gathering in Bylakuppe was not merely a commemoration of a birthday, but a reaffirmation of a collective vow—to remember, to resist, and to renew the quest for freedom and spiritual integrity.

The post 37th Birthday Celebrations of the 11th Panchen Lama first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

The post Refuting Beijing’s Claims About Tibetan Diaspora and Democracy first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

The friendship between the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu once defined how South Africa was imagined — as a place of moral courage and transformative leadership. Today, in a more transactional and fractured world, that legacy raises a sharper question about what kind of global relationships we still choose to value.

-By Dhundup Gyalpo For Daily Maverick, 19 April, 2026

As a Tibetan, whenever I thought of South Africa, the first things that automatically came to mind were Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu and their friendship with the Dalai Lama. Now?

In today’s world fractured by power politics and nationalism, the most enduring alliances are rarely built on shared humanity. The bonds between the Dalai Lama and SA’s moral giants – Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu – were never transactional. They came from different traditions, lived on different continents, and faced very different struggles. Yet they all arrived at the same conviction: that compassion, dignity, and a refusal to be consumed by hatred aren’t soft ideals reserved for the victorious. They’re the discipline of those determined to truly win.

On Mandela — forgiveness as discipline

When Nelson Mandela walked out of Victor Verster Prison after 27 years behind bars, he made a choice that history still struggles to fully absorb. He chose reconciliation over revenge – not because he was free of rage, but because he understood that rage, left unchecked, would merely replace one oppressor with another. That decision took something rarer than courage. It took iron discipline.

Forgiveness isn’t about forgetting. It’’s about refusing to let anger get out of proportion and lose self-control – and to be guided instead by compassion and restraint. This is what the Dalai Lama has long argued, and what Mandela proved in practice. Real liberation is not merely the dismantling of unjust systems – it is the breaking of cycles of bitterness that would otherwise outlast any political victory. Both men understood that the most dangerous prison is the one you carry inside you.

On Tutu — joy as a moral stance

Desmond Tutu’s friendship with the Dalai Lama felt, to those who witnessed it, almost effortless. There was laughter. There was teasing. There was a lightness that seemed, on the surface, improbable between two men who had spent their lives confronting the worst of human behaviour. But beneath the warmth lay a profound spiritual kinship.

Tutu’s idea of ubuntu – the belief that our humanity is inseparable from the humanity of others – echoes what the Dalai Lama describes as the “oneness of humanity” and our deep interdependence. Both men rejected the notion that being morally serious means being distant or detached. Together, they showed something the world needs to be reminded of: that joy is not a retreat from principle – it can be its clearest expression.

Both men placed deep faith in inherited wisdom – not as a fixed inheritance to be preserved unchanged, but as an anchor for societies navigating rapid disruption. Identity and tradition, in their view, need not be obstacles to dialogue. Properly understood, they are its foundation.

The thread that runs through all of it

Beneath all these relationships runs an older thread – one that traces back to Mahatma Gandhi, whose philosophy of nonviolent moral resistance was itself partly forged on South African soil. His conviction that how you fight matters as much as what you fight for ripples forward through every one of these figures.

Mandela’s commitment to reconciliation, Tutu’s firm belief in justice without revenge, the Dalai Lama’s unflinching faith in nonviolence and compassion as real forces for change: none of these ideas are naïve. They are hard-won conclusions – shaped by people who had every reason to take a different path, but chose not to. Their lives remind us that the fight for freedom and dignity isn’t new. It’s something we’ve inherited together, part of a much longer human story.

Each of these leaders stood up to systems that demanded resistance. They fought hard against injustice without losing their moral compass – that’s what makes them unforgettable.

At a time when global politics feels increasingly transactional – when alliances are driven more by narrow national interests than by principles – all of this prompts a deeper question: What kind of world do we really want to live in? Seen in that light, the friendship between these leaders is more than just nostalgic: it offers a genuinely inspiring example of the kind of path forward we might choose.

Economic partnerships matter. No serious foreign policy can ignore them. But when pragmatism becomes the only language being spoken, something essential is forfeited. SA’s international standing was built, above all, on moral authority – on its willingness to stand for human rights and justice. That legacy is not merely sentimental. It is strategic. It is the reason SA’s voice has historically carried weight beyond what its economic power alone would command.

A shared struggle

The connection between the Tibetan struggle for freedom and dignity, led by the Dalai Lama, and SA’s fight against apartheid stands as one of the most powerful moral alliances of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

For the Dalai Lama, supporting the anti-apartheid movement was never simply a matter of offering occasional rhetorical solidarity. It was deeply rooted in his idea of “Universal Responsibility” – the belief that the Tibetan cause is part of a much bigger, global fight against oppression, racism and the denial of basic human dignity.

Today, as the world faces new forms of inequality and injustice, the examples set by the Dalai Lama and SA’s freedom leaders still remain as relevant as ever, reminding us that moral courage can outlast military strength and economic power. Their legacy isn’t defined by political barriers or visa restrictions, but by an enduring belief: injustice and oppression don’t get the final say.

-Dhundup Gyalpo joined the Tibetan civil service in January 2000. He also studied Chinese in Taiwan for two years. Over the past two decades, he has served as head of the health education and media section of the Health Department; editor of TibetNet/Tibetan Bulletin; research fellow at the Tibet Policy Institute; secretary of the Office of Tibet in Taipei, Taiwan; and secretary of the Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi. Since March 2026, he has been serving as the Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Pretoria, South Africa.

The post In a Fractured World, Lessons from Mandela, Tutu and the Dalai Lama offer hope first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.

– by International Campaign for Tibet, 8 April 2026

The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) spotlights the enforced disappearance and secret sentencing of Venerable Dhargye, a 63-year-old Tibetan monk, as a stark illustration of China’s escalating campaign of religious repression and judicial secrecy in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) and neighboring Tibetan prefectures. After more than four years of incommunicado detention, Dhargye has, according to credible reports made to ICT, been sentenced to seven years in prison. His case highlights Chinese authorities’ systematic criminalization of peaceful Buddhist religious practices and their routine violation of fundamental due process rights.

Arrest and enforced disappearance

Dhargye’s ordeal began on August 5, 2021, when he was arrested by Chinese police in Lhasa. He was detained alongside a relative named Tsering and a nun named Choekyi. While Tsering and Choekyi were released after several months, Dhargye remained in custody and was subsequently subjected to an enforced disappearance until traces of information began emerging in autumn 2025.

For over four years, Dhargye’s family was kept in the dark about his whereabouts. As soon as he was arrested in 2021, family members began regularly contacting Chinese authorities in Lhasa but they were given false assurances that Dhargye was well and would be released shortly. These false claims gave his family false hope for a speedy return and led them to avoid raising his detention with the international community.

Charges and sentencing

Information about Dhargye’s sentencing emerged in late January 2026. ICT believes he was charged with making traditional Tibetan Buddhist monetary offerings (Kyab-ten སྐྱབས་རྟེན་ and Ngo-ten བསྔོ་རྟེན་) to the Dalai Lama. Authorities also reportedly accused him of assisting Tibetan monks attempting to escape from Tibet.

The legal proceedings were conducted in complete secrecy. Dhargye’s family did not receive official notification of his charges, the date of his trial, the court that would deliver the verdict or the location of his detention. He has been denied all visits, and his current health status remains unknown, causing deep concern among his relatives given his advanced age.

In August 2022, nearly a year after Venerable Dhargye’s arrest, Chinese authorities detained his brother Tsedu along with four other Tibetans in a separate case. The five men were arrested for conducting traditional religious activities including smoke offerings to mountain deities and prayer ceremonies. While one of the five Tibetans died due to severe beatings, the other four were sentenced to two years imprisonment.

Contravention of legal standards

ICT’s analysis clearly shows that Chinese authorities handling of Dhargye’s case clearly violated China’s Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) and international human rights law. Article 85 requires authorities to notify a family of the reasons for arrest and the place of custody within 24 hours. Principle 16 of the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment (adopted by UN General Assembly resolution 43/173 of 9 December 1988), Rule 58 of the Nelson Mandela Rules, and Articles 17 and 18 of the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance require states to provide families with basic information about the fate and whereabouts of a disappeared person without delay. Only narrow and time-limited exceptions are permitted. By holding Dhargye incommunicado for five years, which far exceeds any permissible limits, China is in violation of its own legal frameworks and international law.

Furthermore, the criminalization of traditional Buddhist monetary offerings strikes at the core of Tibetan Buddhist belief. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, offerings are an essential expression of devotion to religious teachers. Kyabten is an offering made for “taking refuge” dedicated to a religious teacher and Ngoten is a dedicatory offering typically made in the name of deceased persons or those who are seriously ill to generate positive karma for them. Under China’s “stability maintenance” policy, however, such expressions of devotion to exiled spiritual leaders are equated with “inciting separatism” or “subverting state power”.

The non-transparent sentencing of Venerable Dhargye exemplifies Chinese authorities’ egregious violations of religious freedom in Tibet. Through pervasive surveillance and the strategic use of enforced disappearances, the Chinese Communist Party continues to suppress religious freedom and sever the spiritual connections between Tibetans and their exiled leaders. The lack of transparency in the judicial system ensures that many such cases of repression against Tibetans never surface.

Born in 1962 in Serta in Golog, Wulshul (Amdo region), Dhargye is the son of Choephel and Choelha. He is a monk of the Serta Sera Monastery, an institution founded in 1736 that is noted for preserving both old and new Buddhist traditions. Prior to his arrest, he resided in Lhasa, where he was frequently sought by local Tibetan devotees to perform consecration rituals for sacred objects, scriptures and stupas.

The post China’s enforced disappearance and sentencing of Venerable Dhargye first appeared on Tibetan Magazine for Tibet News & Issues.