"Do not mourn for me. What we should truly mourn is the loss of our country. Do not remain in grief. If you must grieve, then I ask each one of you to continue fighting for the just cause of the Tibet independence movement," Lobga Rangzen said in his final recorded video statement, which he posted on Facebook.
Before carrying out his self-immolation on the doorstep of the United Nations headquarters in New York City, United States on July 2, 2026, around 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM local time, Lobga Rangzen left this final testament in his garage and also published an over 6-minute-long self-recorded video on his Facebook account. "Rangzen" was the name he chose for himself. In Tibetan, it means "independence" or "freedom", literally referring to the national sovereignty of Tibet.
Before his self-immolation, he placed his mobile phone on the roadside while livestreaming himself. He then carried a national flag of Tibet and walked 22 steps towards a pedestrian area opposite the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he positioned himself beside the flag and ensured that it was flying high before setting himself on fire during the warm New York evening.
In the video message recorded in Tibetan and published on his Facebook platform hours before his self-immolation protest, Lobga Rangzen stated:
"Communist China's policies and activities in Tibet are aimed at completely destroying the Tibetan people. I have nothing further to say to the people of Tibet inside Tibet." (He folds his hands.) "They have been working sincerely to preserve our spoken language, written script, religion and culture, and to revive everything that has declined. Their efforts are truly remarkable. Therefore, I wish to express my gratitude to them. I have nothing further to say to them."
He continued, "I want to share my message with those of us (Tibetans) living in exile. If we do nothing for the struggle of our people, we will achieve nothing. Therefore, those of us in exile must work even harder."
"We are deeply grateful to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Arhat Avalokiteśvara, for granting us democracy without requiring us to struggle for it. Even though some of us said that we did not want it, His Holiness the Dalai Lama nevertheless bestowed upon us a mature and internationally recognised democratic system. His Holiness's gift of democracy was not intended to create internal divisions among us. Rather, it was granted so that we could advance our struggle for the cause of the Tibetan people and Tibet as a nation."
"In particular, His Holiness has previously said that, for those of us living abroad, including those in the United States, it is shameful if our lives become concerned only with owning a house and a car. His Holiness said that you, Tibetans in exile, are all spokespersons for the Tibetan people inside Tibet and, therefore, should work and struggle on behalf of the Tibetan people. His Holiness cannot say more than that because he is a Buddha who works for world peace, unity and harmony among all peoples, irrespective of colour or religion."
"But we are not Buddhas; we are human beings. Today, what I wish to say is that the Chinese Communists have persecuted all of us Tibetans, irrespective of whether we come from Dhotoe, Dhomed or U-tsang Province—the three traditional provinces of Tibet. We are all Tibetans. Therefore, we should work together for the Tibetan nation; we should work for the people of Tibet."
"Today, when we say that we do not have human rights, that we do not have freedom of speech, and that we do not have the freedom to display a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, we must ask why we do not have these freedoms. The reason is that we lost the independence of Tibet. That is why, from today onwards, whether it is the Tibetan Government (in Exile), the Tibetan Parliament (in Exile), or the Tibetan people, it is essential that we remain united and work together for the cause of the Tibetan nation and the people of Tibet."
"Therefore, from today onwards, without arguing over provincial identities, religious denominations or sectarian differences, we should think of ourselves simply as Tibetans. I am a Tibetan." (He raises his fist.) "Some of us say that we do not have independence. It is not that we never had independence; rather, we had independence, but we lost it. We must regain our independence. Therefore, we Tibetans in exile must unite and continue the struggle for the independence of Tibet. With my hands folded, I respectfully appeal to our exile community to work towards this goal."
He further stated, "Secondly, in the coming days, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 91st birthday will be celebrated. These celebrations, together with Tibetan cultural performances, help safeguard our culture. They also contribute to our wellbeing and greatly benefit our younger generation. Therefore, if I undertake a major action today, it should not cause any disruption to the celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday. Please celebrate His Holiness's birthday in the grandest way possible. Likewise, those who are performing songs and dances should continue to do so. They should not stop, nor should they mourn. Instead, they should reflect upon what more each of us can do for the Tibetan people and the Tibetan nation. It is important that we think in this way. Therefore, I appeal to all of you to work even harder."
He continued, "if I undertake this great action today, I want you to know that it is not for any personal reason. It is not because I have nothing to eat or nothing to wear. Rather, I am doing this for my country—for the Tibetan nation. "Therefore, we should do everything within our power for the national cause. I do not want you to mourn for me. I want you to continue the struggle for the independence of Tibet, because the absence of Tibet's independence is the root cause of all our problems."
"Whenever we say that we do not enjoy certain freedoms, we must ask why. The source of all these problems is that we no longer have our independence because we lost it. If we regain our independence, we will regain everything. Therefore, what we need is independence, and for that, all of us must remain united in our struggle. I ask all of us to continue the Tibetan struggle."
He concluded by proclaiming:
"Bhod Rangzen Gyalo!"
(Victory to the Independence of Tibet.)
"Bhod Rangzen Gyalo!"
(Victory to the Independence of Tibet.)
"Bhod Rangzen Gyalo!"
(Victory to the Independence of Tibet.)
"Bhod Gyalo!"
(Victory to Tibet.)
"Tashi Delek."
