Man holding Tibetan flag dies after setting himself on fire outside UN

Man described by campaigner arsenic ‘a tireless advocator for Tibet’ pronounced dormant connected accomplishment astatine hospital.

A antheral has died aft mounting himself connected occurrence portion holding a Tibetan emblem extracurricular the United Nations office successful New York, constabulary said.

The New York Police Department said connected Thursday that instrumentality enforcement unit responding to an exigency telephone made astatine astir 6:30pm section clip (22:30 GMT) recovered a 52-year-old antheral with terrible burns passim his body.

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The antheral was taken to a infirmary wherever helium was pronounced dead, constabulary said, adding that an probe was ongoing.

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said successful a connection to the AFP quality agency: “We are saddened by this tragic and horrific incident, and connection our condolences to his family.”

US media and a pro-Tibet activistic said the idiosyncratic was a pro-Tibet campaigner. Police did not corroborate this assertion oregon supply immoderate imaginable motive for his action.

Tencho Gyatso, president of the International Campaign for Tibet, named the deceased antheral arsenic Lobga Rangzen.

“Lobga was a tireless advocator for Tibet who devoted himself to peacefully raising consciousness of the quality rights situation successful Tibet,” Gyatso said successful a connection to AFP.

Gyatso said Rangzen had condemned China’s caller “Law connected Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” that Beijing said aims to forge a “shared” nationalist individuality among taste groups.

Overseas campaigners person argued it volition further degrade the rights of taste minorities, similar Uighurs and Tibetans, that Beijing is accused of persecuting.

The United States and the European Union person besides expressed interest astir the caller law, which gives Beijing the ineligible ground to besides take enactment against radical extracurricular its borders.

There person been much than 150 self-immolations by Tibetans betwixt 2009 and 2022, according to the International Campaign for Tibet.

Beijing successful 1950 sent troops to Tibet, the immense high-altitude plateau it says has been an integral portion of China for much than 7 centuries.

International quality rights groups and exiles person routinely condemned what they telephone China’s oppressive regularisation successful Tibetan areas – assessments China rejects.

The 90-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has been based successful India since fleeing the Tibetan superior Lhasa aft Chinese troops crushed an uprising successful 1959.

China does not recognise Tibet’s government-in-exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, and has not held dialog with the Dalai Lama’s representatives since 2010.

The Dalai Lama’s longstanding “Middle Way” argumentation seeks autonomy and a “resolution to the Sino-Tibet struggle done non-violence, dialog and communal benefit”.