“No Losar Celebration Until Tibet is Free”: Former Tibetan Political Prisoner to Stage Hunger Strike at European Parliament on Losar
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA 25 Feb: Tenpa Dhargyal, a former Tibetan political prisoner and activist, is set to continue his campaign not to celebrate Losar, the Tibetan New Year until Tibetans are free from the Chinese occupation and reunited in Tibet.
Dhargyal will flag off his protest – “Till Tibet is Free and United, I give up celebrating Losar”- by forgoing the upcoming Tibetan Losar starting on 28th February in France.
According to an announcement on his Facebook page, the campaign will begin on Friday- the first day of the Tibetan Lunar Year 2152 with a hunger strike in the morning, followed by a peace march from the European Parliament in Strasbourg to the Chinese embassy in the same city from 14:00 to 15:00 local time.
The campaign in front of the European parliament is aimed at garnering stronger international support for Tibetans living in occupied Tibet under Chinese rule while also spreading information about their situation and the cause of Tibet worldwide.
“By protesting in front of it, we hope to garner stronger international attention and support for the Tibetan cause”.
The announcement has encouraged and requested fellow Tibetans living in Europe and those who are sympathetic to and support the cause of Tibet to join the campaign.
Tenpa started his campaign in the face of growing self-immolations by Tibetans in occupied Tibet against China’s colonial rule. To honour the immeasurable sacrifice of these martyrs and their families, Tenpa, in 2014, started his endeavour to campaign against the Chinese rule during Tibetan Losar.
According to the fact sheet on Tibet.net, there have been a total of 157 self-immolations by Tibetans, mostly from occupied Tibet, from 2009 to 2022.
The Tibetan activist carried his campaign from Dharamshala to various cities across Australia as well as in the US last year.
As Tenpa enters the 11th consecutive campaign forgoing Losar, a day of celebration and joyful occasion, the situation inside Tibet remains dire With unabated human rights violations and a severe lack of freedom under Chinese rule.
According to the 2024 Freedom House report, Tibet received a global freedom score of zero for the first time, marking its worst rating to date.
Meanwhile, while Tenpa has for long been the only Tibetan to protest against the Chinese on Losar, this year, however, Tibetans across the diaspora will observe it with a subdued air of festivity in solidarity with the Tingri earthquake victims, as the Kashag (the Cabinet) of the CTA has requested Tibetans to “refrain from hosting large gatherings, performing Tibetan circle dances (gorshey), or engaging in other exuberant expressions of celebration.”
