Dharamshala — Tibetan activists, Tibetans and Tibet supporters around the world strongly protested against the enforcement of China's new “Ethnic Unity Law'', on July 1,2026. Tibetan NGOs in Dharamshala also staged protest against the Chinese government’s new “ethical Unity Law”. They said, “We condemn the July Ist enforcement of “Ethic Unity Law”, reject the law and demand its immediate repeal, citing the warnings of UN human rights experts who state it violates international treaties China has signed."
Tibetan Women’s Association, Students for a Free Tibet, Gu Chu Sum Movement of association of Tibet, National Democratic Party of Tibet organised a protest on July 1, 2026 to protest against the enforcement of China's new “Ethnic Unity Law.” The Tibetan activists from the Tibetan NGOs and Tibetans began their protest from Main Square, Mcleod Ganj to Tibetan National Martyrs Memorial, Tsuklakhang, Mcleod Ganj.
The Tibetan activists from four Tibetan NGOs said, "Today, four major Tibetan NGOs and global activists have united in a Global Day of Action to protest the formal implementation of China's "new national law" that systematically strips Tibetan of their identity.
"July Ist 2026, marks a devastating turning point for the survival of Tibet. China's new national "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" officially goes into effect today. Behind its hollow title lies a brutal reality: as of today, the forced erasure of Tibetan identity, language, and culture is officially codified into state law.
"For years, over one million Tibetan children have been systematically separated from their parents and placed into state-run colonial boarding schools. Today, this practice becomes law. It establishes a legal framework that priorities assimilation into a single, Han-centred national identity. It prioritises Mandarin (Pütönghua) in schools and public life, enforces state-directed social integration, and expands penalties for so-called threats to "ethnic unity," allowing China to persecute Tibetans for acts such as "peaceful expressions of Tibetan identity, language, culture, and traditions".
"Particularly concerning are provisions that extend state authority into how Tibetans are raising their children. (1) Article 20 of the law, requires parents to educate children to love the Communist Party of China" and prohibits the transmission of ideas considered harmful to national unity. It is also legalizing state-directed housing integration, forced population migration, and targeted intermarriage. This represents a deeply intrusive expansion of state authority into family life, weaponizing the most private aspects of human life to dismantle cohesive Tibetan communities, raising serious concerns about ideological control and social surveillance.
"From today, speaking the Tibetan language, practicing traditional customs, or expressing an independent identity can be legally prosecuted as a threat to "national unity," they explained.
The activists demand that global leaders step up immediately to:
1. Condemn the July Ist Enforcement: Publicly reject China's "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress" and demand its immediate repeal, citing the warnings of UN human rights experts who state it violates international treaties China has signed.
2. Dismantle the Colonial Boarding Schools: Pressure Beijing to immediately shut down the state residential school system and end the forced separation and military-style re-education of Tibetan children.
3. Force Independent UN Inspections: Demand that China grant the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and independent monitors immediate, unfettered access to Tibet to inspect these schools.
