The Tibetan Youth Congress is campaigning against China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, calling it a “genocide law”
The group has held protests in Dehradun and New Delhi since the law came into force on July 1
The campaign has gained renewed attention as Xi Jinping visits India for the BRICS Summit, his first trip to the country since 2019
Tibetan Protest In Delhi As Xi Visits India: Why China’s New Law Is In Focus
The Tibetan Youth Congress has staged protests in Delhi and Dehradun since the law took effect on 1 July, calling for its repeal as Xi Jinping makes his first India visit since 2019.
Summary
The Tibetan Youth Congress is using Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to New Delhi for the BRICS summit on Friday, to renew its campaign against China's Ethnic Unity and Progress Promotion Law, calling the legislation a "genocide law" and demanding its repeal.
The TYC gathered at Majnu Ka Tila in Delhi to protest against Chinese President Xi Jinping 's visit to India. It describes the law, which came into force on 1 July, as "one of the most serious threats to the survival of Tibetan identity in recent decades." Its statement says Beijing is institutionalising assimilation policies "under the guise of promoting ethnic unity," using the same pomegranate metaphor Xi has employed to frame China's multi-ethnic national identity.
Sikyong Penpa Tsering, the political head of the Central Tibetan Administration, had warned before the law came into force that it "may constitute a further step towards genocide."
Protests In Delhi And Dehradun
On 1 July, during its 55th Working Committee Meeting in Dehradun, the TYC held what it called a "Pomegranate Protest" with representatives from more than 30 regional chapters, alongside members of Bharat Seema Jagran Manch and Bharat Tibet Sahyog Manch.
Six days later, around 60 TYC members staged a protest outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi. TYC President Tsering Choephel, who addressed the demonstration, said it was intended to "expose China's continued repression in Tibet." Several activists were subsequently detained at Mandir Marg Police Station, according to the TYC.
During the Embassy protest, Choephel delivered an open letter to the Chinese mission. The TYC also distributed an appeal to 162 foreign embassies in New Delhi, urging international attention to what it described as Beijing's escalating efforts to suppress Tibetan identity and rights.
Self-Immolation And The Tibet Campaign
The protests have also been linked by Tibetan activists to the self-immolation of Lobga Rangzen, 52, outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2.
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The Central Tibetan Administration identified Rangzen as a Tibetan activist who later died of his injuries, while Tibetan groups described the act as a protest against Chinese rule in Tibet. The TYC said its Embassy demonstration also honoured his sacrifice.
Xi's India Visit And TYC's Demand
Xi Jinping's attendance at the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12–13 marks his first visit to India since October 2019, when he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Chennai.
The TYC has called on the Government of India, democratic nations and the UN Human Rights Council to condemn China's assimilation policies and press for the law's repeal.
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