Man dies after self-immolation near UN HQ in NYC, identified by exiled Tibetans as activist

A man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Thursday, an incident that exiled Tibetan activists identified as a self-immolation protest for Tibetan independence. Police responded to an emergency call around 6:30 p.m. and found the man badly burned. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital and pronounced dead, with an investigation ongoing.

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self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity.

Voice of Tibet, a media outlet for exiled Tibetans, identified the man as Tibetan activist Logba Rangzen. The outlet reported he set himself on fire outside the UN headquarters in an appeal for Tibetan independence and unity. Local news site amNewYork reported that Rangzen, an Uber driver, went to the scene with a Tibetan flag and was known in the Tibetan community for being enraged by Chinese government restrictions on his countrymen.

The incident occurs as the United States and the European Union have expressed concern over China's new ethnic unity law, which took effect this week. This law provides Beijing with a legal basis to act against individuals outside its borders and establishes a "shared" national identity among China's 55 ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, many of whom resist Chinese governance. Tibetans worldwide have voiced opposition to the law, which Beijing claims is for ethnic unity.

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was enraged by the restrictions the Chinese government had placed on his countrymen.

Tibetans have previously committed acts of self-immolation to protest Beijing's policies in Tibet and surrounding regions. China has controlled Tibet since 1950, describing it as a "peaceful liberation." However, international human rights groups and Tibetan exiles condemn China's rule as oppressive, a charge China denies. Ethnic minority issues are highly sensitive in China, with Tibetans facing heavy surveillance for any signs of alleged "separatism."

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a tireless advocate for Tibet