Dharamshala — Hundreds of Tibetans staged a vigorous protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York—the site where Tibetan independence activist Lobga Rangzen had self-immolated. He protested against the PRC's oppressive policies in Tibet, particularly the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress," and to demand independence for Tibet, he asserted that "the lack of independence for Tibet is the root cause of all the problems that Tibetan people are facing."
The Regional Tibetan Youth Congress of New York and New Jersey (RTYCNYNJ) organised a protest outside the United Nations headquarters and the Chinese Consulate in New York on July 16, 2026, to pay tribute to Tibetan martyr Lobsang Palden (or Lobga Rangzen) and commemorate the two weeks following his death, who self-immolated to protest against the People's Republic of China's oppressive policies in Tibet, particularly the so-called "Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress," and to demand independence for Tibet.
Hundreds of Tibetans took part in the demonstration; they carried Lobga Rangzen’s coffin and protested outside the United Nations headquarters and the Chinese consulate in New York. They chanted slogans such as: "UN, wake up," "UN, speak for Tibet," "World leaders, wake up," "World leaders, speak up for Tibet," "China lies, Tibetans die," "We want justice for Lobga Rangzen," "Lobga Rangzen’s life matters," "Lobga Rangzen died for a free Tibet," "We want justice for Tibetans," "Shame on the UN," "China is guilty, guilty of genocide," and "Stop the cultural genocide in Tibet."
Then the peaceful protesters marched from the United Nations headquarters to the Chinese consulate in New York, where they staged a vigorous protest, chanting slogans such as "Tibet is not part of China," "China, get out of Tibet—Tibet is an independent country," "Tibet belongs to Tibetans"and "The Tibetan people do not recognise the legitimacy of Chinese rule or the laws imposed on Tibet,"
A representative of RTYCNYNJ read out the open letter of Central Tibetan Youth Congress to the gathering. Which states, "This is not merely a letter. It is a message carried by the final sacrifice of Tibetan patriot Lobga Rangzen, whose body was engulfed in flames because our homeland had been occupied and our people deprived of their freedom. His last act was not one of despair, it was one of resistance. he raised the Tibetan National Flag and he stood on fire, and declared to the world: "Free Tibet, China Out of Tibet."
"He sacrificed himself for the cause of Tibet and its Independence because decades of political repression, cultural destruction, restrictions on religious freedom, transnational repression, and now the implementation of the so-called "Ethnic Unity Law."
"You call it a law of unity. In reality you are trying to legalize the genocide, a legal procedure design to erase the identity of oppressed people. A law that weakens a nation's language, religion, culture, and history cannot be called unity. Unity cannot be imposed through assimilation. Unity cannot be manufactured through fear. Unity without freedom is not unity at all.
"The Chinese government must recognize the legitimate aspiration of the Tibetan people and restore Tibet's independence. Lasting peace and stability cannot be achieved through repression, forced assimilation, or military control, but only by ending occupation and respecting the will of the Tibetan people. We urge China to choose justice over oppression, freedom over domination, and peace over continued confrontation."
The Tibetan activists also managed to deliver a letter to the Chinese embassy, demanding full independence for Tibet and calling on the Chinese government to end its oppressive policies and ethnic cleansing law in Tibet.
