On China’s National Day, Tibetans Raise Their Voice at UNHRC, Demand Action on Tibet – Central Tibetan Administration

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Geneva, 1 October 2026: Members of the Tibetan community and Tibet supporters gathered in Geneva on Thursday for a peace march calling international attention to the human rights situation in Tibet and urging meaningful action from the international community.
The demonstration took place during the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and coincided with 1 October, the anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Participants marched in Geneva and gathered near the Broken Chair at Place des Nations, close to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The protest brought together Rikon Khenpo; Representative Thinlay Chukki of the Tibet Bureau Geneva; Kai Müller of the International Campaign for Tibet Germany; former Tibetan parliamentarians; representatives of Tibet support groups; Phuntsok Topgyal, UN advocacy officer; and leaders and members of the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
Addressing the gathering, Kai Müller said 1 October should be a day of reflection on the decades of repression, suffering and human-rights concerns experienced by Tibetans following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. He referred to the suppression of Tibetan resistance and the exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1959.
Müller said Europeans and others outside the Tibetan community have a responsibility to speak up for Tibetan rights and support meaningful action. He also expressed solidarity with Tibetans in Tibet and in exile, highlighting their resilience and continued commitment to human rights.
Representative Thinlay Chukki, speaking on behalf of the Tibet Bureau Geneva, said the protest was organised to draw attention to what she described as serious and continuing human-rights violations affecting Tibetans.
Chukki highlighted the situation of Tibetan children in residential schools, saying that more than one million children had been separated from their families and were being educated in a system that, according to Tibetan representatives, restricts access to Tibetan language, religion and cultural traditions. UN human-rights experts have separately raised concerns about the impact of China’s residential-school system on Tibetan children and cultural identity.
She also raised the case of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, whom the Dalai Lama recognised as the 11th Panchen Lama in 1995 and whose whereabouts have remained a subject of international concern. Chukki further referred to reported cases of self-immolation by Tibetans in Tibet and to continuing calls for greater freedom and for the return of the Dalai Lama.
Calling for peaceful engagement, Chukki urged the Chinese government to end human-rights violations, release Tibetan political prisoners and reconsider the residential-school system. She also called on the international community to strengthen its attention to the situation in Tibet.
“His Holiness the Dalai Lama remains in this world and continues to provide leadership to the Tibetan people,” Chukki said, calling for unconditional and peaceful dialogue between the Chinese government and Tibetan representatives to address the Tibet-China dispute.
The protest concluded with a renewed appeal for international solidarity and peaceful dialogue. Chukki expressed hope that the Dalai Lama would one day return to Tibet and that Tibetans would once again be able to receive his teachings there.
The demonstration was held against the backdrop of the 63rd UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, where governments, UN experts and civil-society organisations are addressing human-rights issues from around the world.
-Report filed by Office of Tibet, Geneva