Tibetan man dies after setting himself on fire outside UN headquarters in New York
A man identified as Lobsang Rangzen, a Tibetan activist and US resident, died after setting himself on fire outside the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday evening, according to police and media reports.
The incident occurred around 7 p.m. near East 42nd Street and First Avenue. Surveillance footage shows Rangzen placing a Tibetan flag on the sidewalk before igniting himself. First responders arrived within approximately 15 seconds and extinguished the flames using fire extinguishers. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Rangzen, who had lived in the US for about 20 years and worked as an Uber driver, was described by friends as a committed nonviolent activist supporting Tibetan independence. Papers at the scene bore the message “China Out of Tibet,” a slogan associated with the Tibetan independence movement.
Since 2009, over 150 people have reportedly self-immolated in Tibet and elsewhere to protest Chinese rule, according to advocacy group Free Tibet. The Chinese government does not recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, asserting that Tibet has been part of China since the 13th century. The Dalai Lama, however, claims Tibet was independent when Chinese forces entered in 1951, a move China describes as a “peaceful liberation.”
Police have opened an investigation into the incident. The United Nations has not issued an official statement.
