Tsering Dhundup
DHARAMSHALA, May 15: The New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has renewed calls on for the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, and his family, marking the 30th anniversary of their enforced disappearance by Chinese authorities on May 17, 1995.
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama as the legitimate reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, the second most important spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism, was abducted at the age of six, just three days after the Dalai Lama’s announcement. Neither he nor his parents have been seen or heard from since.
“The Chinese government kidnapped a 6-year-old and his family and have disappeared them for 30 years to control the selection of the next Dalai Lama and thus Tibetan Buddhism itself,” said Yalkun Uluyol, China researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Concerned parties should press the Chinese government to end this cruelty and secure the freedom of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family.”
In what many view as an attempt to manipulate the reincarnation process, a cornerstone of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Beijing installed another child, Gyaltsen Norbu, whose family reportedly has ties to the Chinese Communist Party, as their officially recognised Panchen Lama.
Since then, Chinese authorities have tightened their control over religious institutions across Tibet. Following the abduction, dozens of Tibetan monks, including Jadrel Rinpoche, who oversaw the search for the Panchen Lama, were arrested. Their fate remains unknown.
Despite a 2015 Chinese government statement that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was “living normally” and wished not to be disturbed, no independent party has been permitted to verify this claim. All images of him and of the Dalai Lama are banned in Tibet.
“The 30th anniversary of the Panchen Lama’s disappearance provides governments an important opportunity to urge the Chinese government to end its decades of repression of the Tibetan people,” said Uluyol.
Over the past two decades, China has intensified its control over Tibetan Buddhism, notably through a 2007 law requiring state approval for reincarnate lamas and mandating use of the historically obscure Golden Urn lottery system for recognizing top spiritual figures—a system originally imposed by Qing officials in the late 18th century under the pretext of administrative reform after aiding Tibet against the Gurkhas. Though codified in some cases, the Golden Urn was largely symbolic and rarely used, with only one Dalai Lama (the Eleventh) genuinely selected by it. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama in a 2011 statement firmly rejected the Golden Urn’s legitimacy, criticizing politically motivated recognitions that harm the Dharma and asserting that true reincarnations should be identified through authentic spiritual means, not state-imposed procedures.
HRW stated that this tightening control is part of a wider campaign of repression in Tibet. Since 2008, China has maintained a massive security presence in the region, clamped down on religious practice, restricted travel and communication, and instituted widespread surveillance. The government has increasingly mandated Mandarin Chinese as the medium of instruction in schools and moved many Tibetans from ancestral homes into state-built resettlement zones.
Since 2009, 160 Tibetans have resorted to self-immolation in protest of Chinese policies, with 127 losing their lives.
In a joint statement marking the 25th anniversary of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s disappearance, five United Nations human rights experts condemned the “continued enforced disappearance” and the state-imposed regulations on reincarnation, calling them violations of international law and of Tibetan religious practices.
Despite repeated calls from governments and international bodies, including the European Parliament, China has refused to provide verifiable information on the Panchen Lama’s condition or location.
Human Rights Watch has also urged the international community, especially countries with significant Buddhist populations such as India, Mongolia, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—to publicly condemn the continued disappearance and Beijing’s interference in Tibetan religious affairs.
