Vilnius protest calls for action on human rights violations in Tibet

A small group of activists staged a protest in Vilnius on Thursday, demanding greater attention from Lithuanian politicians and the public to ongoing human rights abuses in Tibet, including the imprisonment of political prisoners, LRT reports.

Gathered outside the Chinese Embassy, demonstrators accused Beijing of systematically erasing Tibetan identity through policies such as “colonial boarding schools,” where an estimated one million Tibetan children are reportedly separated from their families and educated exclusively in Mandarin.

“This is absolute brainwashing, patriotic re-education,” said Robertas Mažeika, a representative of the Tibet Support Group. “They want to erase Tibetan consciousness.”

Protesters also highlighted restrictions on diplomatic access to Tibet, noting that while Chinese diplomats travel freely in Europe, European officials face severe limitations in visiting the region.

The demonstration coincided with the 29th anniversary of the disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognised by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama. Arrested by Chinese authorities in 1995 at age six, he remains the world’s youngest known political prisoner, with no verified information about his whereabouts or condition.

Tibet support groups worldwide have marked the date by urging China to release the Panchen Lama and all political prisoners, in accordance with international obligations.

China has long dismissed criticism of its Tibet policies as interference in its internal affairs. Since 2015, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been forcibly relocated from rural areas into low-wage labor programs under what authorities describe as “voluntary” schemes.

Vilnius has hosted annual Tibet solidarity events for over two decades, commemorating the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule.