Tibetan Activist Pedals for Freedom, One French City at a Time
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 2 April: Twenty years after fleeing Tibet, Sonam Dhondup has not seen his parents once — and he may never again. The Tibetan activist, based in France, began cycling on Wednesday to make sure the world knows why.
Dhondup launched a solo three-month cycling rally to raise awareness about the Tibetan freedom movement and its opposition to China’s colonial rule. He said the rally aims to dispel the misconception among the international community that all Tibetans in exile are willing to remain under Chinese rule. Instead, he emphasised that Tibetans aspire to restore Tibet as a historically sovereign and self-governing nation and secure their right to self-rule.
The cycling rally, which will pass through approximately 25 major cities and metropolitan areas across France, carries significant personal risks. Dhondup may never see his parents again, as they remain in Chinese-occupied Tibet. Given China’s history of using family members as leverage to silence Tibetans in exile, his activism could put their safety directly at risk.
Dhondup fears they may pass away without him ever being able to reunite with them, particularly under China’s repressive rule. This fear has strengthened his resolve to actively advocate for Tibet’s independence, rather than what he describes as waiting for a change to come from the Chinese side.
“I have not seen my parents for the last 20 years, and if we have to wait another 20, all we can know is that they will pass away,” said Dhondup. He asserted that Tibetans must take an active role in their struggle for independence, even if it comes at great personal cost, including the risk of never being reunited with their loved ones.
Dhondup aims to draw attention to the major issues affecting Tibet under China’s colonial rule, as well as the broader struggle for the survival of Tibetan identity. These include the Sinicisation of the name “Tibet” to “Xizang,” as well as calls for institutions such as the Musée Guimet in Paris to stop their complicity in promoting China’s false narrative. He also points to China’s extensive network of state-run boarding schools for Tibetan children, reports of planned DNA collection from Tibetan children, and the construction of dams detrimental to Tibetans in nomadic and farming areas.
He will also bring to public attention the more than 160 Tibetan self-immolations carried out as acts of resistance, asserting that Tibet has experienced the largest sustained wave of self-immolation protests in recent history.
The grim reality of occupied Tibet today is rooted in what he views as China’s aggressive assimilation policies, which aim to reduce Tibetans to a mere “ethnic minority” within China, thereby undermining their distinct national and civilizational identity.
The activist said he is carrying 1,000 pamphlets with him on his journey, written in three different languages—Tibetan, French, and English. He also plans to produce informational videos on these issues as part of a broader digital awareness campaign.
The rally is the culmination of more than two years of planning, during which Dhondup studied long-distance cycling, worked out the logistics, and prepared pamphlets and other campaign materials. He said he had initially planned to cycle across Europe, but this would have required extensive documentation and permits in certain regions.
Dhondup added that he reached out to Tibetan parliamentarians in Europe for assistance on 10 March last year, but did not receive a response, even after sending a reminder. Unable to secure the necessary permits, he said that, for now, the scope of his cycling rally has been limited to France.
