A Tibetan activist died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan on Thursday, in a highly unusual act of self-immolation on U.S. soil. Police said they responded to a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. and found a 52-year-old man with severe burns.
The man was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to law enforcement. Officials said the investigation was ongoing and that they could not immediately say why he set himself on fire. His identity had not been officially confirmed by authorities at the time of the report.
Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show the man walking near the UN complex with a Tibetan flag before he was engulfed in flames. A separate video reportedly posted on the same Facebook account showed him calling on Tibetans to unite for the independence of Tibet and accusing the Chinese government of policies aimed at eroding Tibetan identity, culture and language.
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The activist has been identified by media reports and Tibetan activist circles as Lobga Rangzen, though authorities had not yet formally confirmed that name. Reuters and CNN both reported that the death occurred near the UN headquarters and that police were still investigating the circumstances.
The incident came days after China enacted a new ethnic unity law on July 1, a measure critics say expands Mandarin-language requirements in minority regions and deepens fears of cultural erasure. Tibetan activists have long linked self-immolation to protests against Chinese rule in Tibet, though such acts remain rare in the United States.
A UN spokesperson said the episode occurred after scheduled meetings had ended and that no UN business was affected, according to reports. The death has drawn renewed attention to Tibet-related activism and the broader campaign by Beijing to tighten control over minority identities and languages.
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