Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the XIth Panchen Lama of Tibet, today turns 20. He has been missing for the past fourteen years since his abduction by the Chinese authorities at the young age of six. There has been no information about his well being and whereabouts and continue to remain under enforced disappearance since 17 May 1995.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was born to Konchok Phuntsok and Dechen Chodon on 25 April, 1989 at Lhari County of Nagchu Prefecture, “Tibet Autonomous Region” (‘TAR’). On 14 May 1995, the Dalai Lama announced the then six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the Xth Panchen Lama. Three days after the announcement, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family disappeared from their home. Their whereabouts and well-beings still remain unknown. In November 1995, government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) appointed another boy, Gyaltsen Norbu, as the XIth Panchen Lama and enthroned in December of 1995. Of lately, Chinese authorities have used Gyaltsen Norbu as the mouthpiece for their propaganda campaign against the Dalai Lama. Chinese media assiduously began to promote Gyaltsen Norbu as the face of Tibet’s Panchen Lama however, he has failed miserably to win the heart and minds of Tibetans. The actions of the Chinese authorities in the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama represent yet another attempt to weaken the social, moral and religious fabric of Tibetan life to further its exploitation as a colonial possession.

The Dalai Lama recognized and announced Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the XIth reincarnation of the Panchen Lama on 14 May 1995. Beijing authorities were quick to refute the proclamation, and on 24 May 1995, an emergency three-day session of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference issued a statement describing the Dalai Lama’s proclamation as “illegal and invalid.” China’s response to the Dalai Lama’s selection of the Panchen Lama has been to denounce the legitimacy of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and proclaim another child to be the real incarnation – an unprecedented and bizarre act of the officially atheist state. These actions were taken to serve the political interests of the Chinese government by attempting to undermine the authority of the Dalai Lama and hurting the Tibetan people’s religious sentiments

Despite innumerable requests made by the world bodies, concerned governments, and NGOs over the past more than a decade for his release, the Chinese government has refused to provide any verifiable information on Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, nor have they allowed independent observers to visit the boy and his parents in order to confirm their whereabouts and well being. While the Chinese government asserts that he is attending school and leading a normal life, China has thus far failed to substantiate its statement on Gedhun Choekyi Nyima with credible evidence for millions of his followers. The continued detention and disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is not only the deprivation of his rights alone but also a denial of religious guidance for and hurting religious sentiments of millions of followers.

Normally, the Panchen Lama is heavily involved in the selection process for the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation and vice versa. China’s motivation for interfering in the identification and training of significant reincarnations is to control the political loyalties of these important figures in Tibetan society, weaken the influence of the traditional religious authorities, and use the reincarnates’ influence among Tibetans to China’s political advantage.

Considering the political objective behind the Panchen Lama’s abduction and his continued incommunicado detention, it is unlikely that China is fulfilling its obligation to ensure that Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has open access to information and material from a diversity of national and international sources, especially those aimed at the promotion of his social, spiritual and moral well-being and physical and mental health. China’s abduction of the Panchen Lama and denial of his religious identity violates basic principles enshrined in the general human rights instruments such the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) is gravely concerned at the continued disappearance and detention of the Panchen Lama and his parents and appeals for their unconditional release. TCHRD calls on the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to provide exact information on the current whereabouts, well-being and fate of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents. The Centre considers his continued detention a serious violation of fundamental human rights. The PRC should also ensure that the religious freedom of the Tibetan people be respected including their rights to identify religious leaders.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

* On 14 May 1995, His Holiness the Dalai Lama announced that the then six-years old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima as the reincarnation of the Xth Panchen Lama.

* Three days later, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his parents disappeared and have never been seen again.

* On 24 May 1995 the government of People's Republic of China issued a statement describing the Dalai Lama's proclamation as "illegal and invalid."

* China proclaims another child to be the real incarnation - an unprecedented and bizarre act of an atheist state.

* Shortly after this announcement Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his family disappeared from their native hometown without any information about their whereabouts and well-being.

* Chadrel Rinpoche, a former abbot of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery seat of Panchen Lama, and Chairman of the Search Committee for the reincarnation of the XIth Panchen Lama and his assistant Champa Chungla also disappeared from Chengdu Airport in Sichuan Province on 14 May 1995.

* On 21 April 1997, the Shigatse Intermediate People's court sentenced Chadrel Rinpoche to six years of imprisonment. He was charged with "plotting to split the country" and "leaking state secrets".

He was accused of working for and assisting the Dalai Lama in the search for the XIth Panchen Lama. Although his sentence ended on 13 May 2001 following the completion of a six-year prison term, there is no credible information on his whereabouts or on his state of health.