Tibetan Activist Sets Self on Fire Outside U.N. in Protest Against China
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Tibetan activist Lobsang Palden, known as Lobga Rangzen, self-immolated outside the United Nations headquarters in New York to protest China's control over Tibet, later dying from his injuries.
- In a video posted before the act, Lobga Rangzen condemned Beijing’s policies as “destroying the Tibetan people” and emphasized his protest was for political reasons and Tibetan independence.
- The 52-year-old Queens resident had been advocating for Tibetan independence for over a decade and livestreamed the self-immolation on his Facebook page before the video was removed.
- Police responded to the scene around 6:30 p.m., found Lobga with severe burns, and transported him to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
- Lobga Rangzen urged Tibetans in exile to unite and intensify their efforts for Tibet’s independence in a separate video posted earlier the same day.
