Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, May 18: The Tibetan Youth Congress, the largest pro-independence organization in exile, on Sunday commemorated the 31st anniversary of the enforced disappearance of the 11th Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who was abducted by the Chinese government at the age of six along with his family.
The commemoration, held at McLeod Ganj Main Square in Dharamshala, featured the display of a 20-foot banner bearing the image of the missing Tibetan spiritual leader alongside the distribution of pamphlets to the public. Members of the organization said they would continue their awareness campaign near the local cricket stadium, engaging with thousands of cricket fans and visitors to highlight the significance of the day and renew calls for international action.
In a strongly worded statement issued and read during the event, the organization described the Panchen Lama as “the world’s youngest political prisoner” and questioned the continued silence surrounding his fate more than three decades after his disappearance.
“Thirty-one years. Over eleven thousand days of silence, uncertainty, and grief,” the statement read. “An innocent child was stolen from his family and from the world by the Chinese government. To this day, the world has received no credible word of his whereabouts, his health, or whether he is even alive.”
The group demanded that Chinese authorities immediately disclose the whereabouts and condition of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family, and grant them what it called their “long-overdue freedom.” The statement further described the enforced disappearance of the six-year-old boy as “a wound on the conscience of humanity,” calling it a flagrant violation of international human rights law, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the universal right to religious freedom.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was officially recognized by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama on May 14, 1995. Three days later, Chinese authorities allegedly took him and his family into custody, after which they disappeared from public view. Beijing subsequently appointed its own candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the state-recognized Panchen Lama, a move widely rejected by Tibetans in exile and many Tibet supporters worldwide.
The TYC accused the Chinese government of attempting to “seize control of Tibet’s religious soul and political future” through political interference in Tibetan Buddhism. “This is not the story of one child alone,” the statement continued. “It is the story of an entire people — the Tibetan people — who continue to endure occupation, suppression, and the systematic erasure of their culture, faith, and identity.”
The organization also criticized the international community for what it described as prolonged inaction, stating that the Panchen Lama remains “one of the world’s longest-held and youngest-taken political prisoners.” Calling for renewed international pressure on Beijing, the TYC urged governments, human rights organizations, children’s rights advocates, and supporters worldwide to demand accountability and press for the immediate release of the Panchen Lama and his family.
“To the Chinese government, we say clearly and without hesitation: Release the 11th Panchen Lama and his family. Disclose the truth about their condition. Honour your obligations under international human rights law,” the statement concluded.
Later that evening, the Tibetan Women’s Organisation (TWA) organized a candlelight vigil in the McLeod Ganj area, where Tibetans and supporters gathered in solemn remembrance of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and renewed calls for his immediate release. Holding candles and placards, participants offered prayers and observed moments of silence to mark the 31st anniversary of his enforced disappearance.
Similar peaceful demonstrations and solidarity actions were also held by Tibetans across the world, as communities in exile commemorated the day through awareness campaigns and protests demanding that the Chinese government disclose the whereabouts of the Panchen Lama and reunite him with freedom after more than three decades in enforced disappearance.
