Compiled By Palden
Translated By TenGyal
1)At Least 115 Tibetans Arrested and Detained 
In 2025 alone, the Chinese government arrested and detained at least 115 Tibetans under fabricated charges of “political offenses.” The conditions and whereabouts of many of these individuals remain unknown.
On March 20th, 2025, Kalsang, a native of Serdrak Township in Dingchen County, Chamdo, used social media to highlight that his household’s water and utilities had been cut off since 2019. He stated that his appeals to local authorities had been ignored. In response, on March 24, Dingchen County police arrested and detained him for an extended period on trumped-up charges of “destroying social order” and “harming the nation.” Although later released, Kalsang was abducted and arrested again on April 18th; he has not been heard from since. Furthermore, his children have faced significant challenges in gaining school admission due to these allegations.
On the morning of May 7, 2025, approximately 31 Tibetans were arrested and sentenced following an altercation in western Lhasa. A public notice from the Lhasa police stated they are conducting strict surveillance in the area on suspicion of “acts of terrorism and independence.”
As restrictions in Tibet intensified surrounding the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama , young Tibetan singer Asang and his colleague Palchung were abducted and arrested in early July 2025 in Ngawa County. Their purported offense was performing a cover of the song “The Prince of Peace”, originally sung by another artist a few years ago. Asang remain in detention. Similarly, around July 1st, Venerable Tsewang Dhongo, a monk from Adhue Monastery, was arrested for sharing a social media image of a symbolic hat commemorating the 90th birthday celebrations. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Around July 2, 2025, Venerable Zega Gyatso, a monk from Tsang Monastery in Sog County, was arrested in Xining on accusations of “sending funds abroad.” In November, authorities denied his relatives visitation rights. Additionally, Tibet Times reported that Venerable Dhargye and two colleagues were arrested in Lhasa on August 5. While his colleagues were eventually released, Dhargye remains in detention with no information disclosed regarding his status.
On July 13, 2025, strict directives were issued to ban the display of portraits of His Eminence Kirti Rinpoche in all monasteries affiliated with Kirti Monastery in Ngawa Prefecture. Portraits were forcibly removed from Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery, Ngawa Kirti Monastery, and Gyalrong Tso Dhun Kirti Monastery. Furthermore, the “General Buddhist Education Management Committee,” an administrative body overseeing academic programs at Kirti Monastery, was forcibly shut down due to its perceived connection to Kirti Rinpoche.
By August 2025, reports emerged eight months had passed since the arrest of Venerable Geshe Lharampa Konchok Choedak, the acting head of Hortsang Kirti Monastery, yet no information regarding his condition. He has been in detention following his arrest since December 2024.He entered Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery as a child, dedicating himself to a life of study, contemplation, and spiritual practice. After taking his Geshe Lharampa vows in 2019, he was appointed to his leadership role in 2021 at the Taktsang Kirti Monastery.
on November 5, 2025, local Tibetans in Kashi Township, Zachuka, witnessed and obstructed Chinese workers engaging in gold mining activities in Serkhog. In retaliation, Chinese authorities began arresting Kashi residents at approximately 7:00 p.m. the following evening. By December 15, more than 80 local Tibetans had been arrested from the town, many of whom remain in detention. Furthermore, some detainees have suffered rib fractures and kidney injuries after being subjected to physical beatings, leaving them in severely deteriorated health.
2)Tibetans who lost their lives under the Pretext of “Political Crimes” 
The abbot of Lung Ngon Monastery in Gade County, Golog, Tibet, Venerable Hungkar Dorje Rinpoche, was repeatedly harassed after being accused of disobeying higher authorities and of failing to organize a grand reception in accordance with Chinese government orders when the China-appointed Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu visited the Golog region. As a result of this continued persecution, he was forced to leave to avoid danger. However, on March 28, 2025, the Chinese government announced that Rinpoche had already passed away at the Vinmec Central Park International Hospital in Vietnam.
Following news of his death, five monk representatives from Lung Ngon Monastery traveled to Vietnam to determine the cause of his passing. However, they were only permitted a brief glimpse of his face on the evening of April 10th. Rinpoche’s body was secretly cremated in Vietnam ten days later, on April 20th.
Based on eyewitness accounts from hospital employees later shared through media outlets, Rinpoche had suffered severe physical injuries after being subjected to incessant beatings while detained within the Chinese Embassy compound in Vietnam. Consequently, it is widely believed that the Chinese government was responsible for his death. His mother, Dhugkar Dolma, became severely ill from emotional distress following these events. Despite receiving treatment in Xining for more than three months, her health failed to improve. On May 6th, 2025, she passed away at the age of 85, in great physical and emotional pain, at her residence on the outskirts of Lung Ngon Monastery.
In 2025, during the period surrounding the 90th birthday celebrations of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Chinese government forcefully evicted numerous monks under the age of 18 from Tsang Monastery in Sog County, Malho (Huangnan) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Furthermore, the head of the monastery, Venerable Shersang Gyatso, died by suicide on the roof of the monastery shop on the evening of August 18th, 2025. He was reportedly driven to desperation after being subjected to relentless pressure and accusations by Chinese authorities.
On July 19th, 2025, Choegyal Tulku—widely known as Palden Wangyal, the head of Choegyal Monastery in Pala Chue(གོ་འཇོ་རྫོང་པ་ལ་ཆུས), Gonjo County—died in detention at a prison in Gansu Province. His death followed a period of suffering under relentless torture while in custody.
3) Expulsion of monks and nuns and the destruction of monasteries 
In February 2025, claiming that many monastics at the sprawling Larung Gar complex lacked proper legal documentation, Chinese authorities forcibly expelled more than 1,000 monks and nuns. One expelled nun described the ordeal to Tibet Times, stating, “After a series of investigations by government officials and Serta County police, we were issued directives that 1,000 of us were no longer permitted to reside in the monastery and had to leave.” Since 2016, the Chinese government has been expelling monastics and demolishing structures at Larung Gar. Furthermore, official documents now mandate that no more than 5,000 monastics may reside there, with strict quotas limiting residents from other provinces to just 1,000.
In June 2025, alleging that the structures were built on government land, the Chinese government enforced the complete demolition of more than 300 medium-sized and three large Tibetan Buddhist stupas on Lungrab Zang Ri, near Jangang Monastery in Drakgo County, Garze, Tibet. Reports emerged that authorities imposed strict movement restrictions to prevent information about the destruction from spreading. Following these initial reports, no further information has surfaced due to the intensified restrictions.
Starting December 16, 2025, three Tibetan officials—claiming to act under central and local directives—conducted forceful three-day searches of monastic quarters and households at Labrang Tashi Khyil Monastery and surrounding areas, including Thangnag, Ngonchag, Ledruk, Sangkhog, and Marteng. Tibet Times received reports that officials confiscated portraits of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from both monks and lay families, declaring the display of such images illegal. As regional restrictions have intensified, obtaining further information remains difficult.
4)Two Dauntless Tibetan Women Continue their Advocacy for Justice and Human Rights 
On August 18, 2025, Gonpo Kyi—sister of Tibetan political prisoner Dorje Tashi—was forcibly detained at the Lhasa Yak Hotel by local police while staging a peaceful protest. She was petitioning for her brother’s right to legal counsel and a meeting with his lawyer. Prevented from leaving the premises, she attempted suicide by desperately jumping from the hotel’s second floor. Despite suffering severe injuries, authorities denied her timely medical treatment. Currently, she remains under strict confinement at her residence, prohibited from traveling for professional care, and is receiving limited medical support at home. Prior to this incident, Gonpo Kyi had staged over ten peaceful protests in front of Lhasa’s police stations and courts, petitioning for a retrial for her brother, citing the unjust nature of his ten-year sentence. Despite enduring repeated detentions, threats, physical beatings, and forced relocation to her village, she had refused to end her campaign.
On December 9, 2025, the Trikha County People’s Court sentenced Tsering Tso, a female Tibetan tour guide, to one year of imprisonment on a fabricated charge of “instigating social unrest.” The court ordered a two-year suspension of the sentence, effective from the date of the ruling, but placed her under immediate house arrest. In response, Tsering Tso submitted a complete formal petition for a fair retrial to the Hainan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture Intermediate People’s Court. However, her efforts have been stymied by the authorities’ failure to follow legal procedures. Under the strict terms of her house arrest, she is prohibited from traveling without permission, contacting others, or seeking medical consultations outside her home; she is also mandated to participate in “political education programs.” Since 2015, Tsering Tso, 41, has consistently spoken out against ethnic discrimination and abuses by Chinese officials, leading to five separate detentions under various pretexts.
5)The Co-option of Religious Figure in Disingenuous Political Displays 
Under the direction of the Chinese government, Gyaltsen Norbu, the state-appointed Panchen Lama, conferred his second Kalachakra initiation at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery from October 9th to 12th, 2025, for “world peace and the prosperity of the nation.” This year, Gyaltsen Norbu also visited numerous Tibetan regions, including Nagchu, and the counties of Gamba, Dingri, Panam, Shey Thongmon, Namling, and Samdruptse.These travels followed his 2024 visit to the Golog region in Tsongon (Qinghai) Province. Throughout the tour, he spoke extensively on the “benevolent policies” of the Chinese government and the leadership of President Xi Jinping, emphasizing the gratitude Tibet owes the state. He further stressed the importance of fostering “lawful and patriotic citizens” and “transforming Tibetan Buddhist traditions with Chinese characteristics”, effectively disseminating state-sanctioned propaganda to the public.
This year, under the political campaign titled “the sense of community for the Chinese nation,” the government organized large-scale meetings and workshops across monasteries, schools, and rural communities in Tibet.
Additionally, monastic officials and practitioners were divided into groups and taken on tours to Beijing and other Chinese cities. These trips were promoted as opportunities to witness and experience first hand the “spectacular development of the nation” and were intended to foster “law-abiding and faithful” religious practitioners.
6) Expressions of Tibetan Solidarity Amid Natural Disaster 
On the morning of January 7th, 2025, a powerful earthquake measuring nearly 7.0 on the Richter scale struck Dingri, Ngamring, Lhatse, and Sakya counties, along with other nearby areas in Tibet, causing large-scale loss of life and destruction of property. While international media outlets reported that more than 400 lives were lost, the Chinese government claimed that 126 people died and approximately 340 were injured, with many residences destroyed in the aftermath.
In the wake of the disaster, Tibetans across the region expressed solidarity by providing emergency aid and volunteering for relief efforts. The Tibetan community in exile also showed support through prayer meetings. On January 7th, His Holiness the Dalai Lama extends condolences and offers prayers. In the message, His Holiness stated, “I am deeply saddened to learn of the devastating earthquake that struck Dingri in Tibet and the surrounding regions this morning. It has caused the tragic loss of many lives, numerous injuries and extensive destruction of homes and property. I offer my prayers to those who have lost their lives and extend my wishes for a swift recovery to all who have been injured.”
Similarly, the heads of all major Tibetan religious traditions, the Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, the Speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, and the governments of the United States, India, and Taiwan offered statements of condolence and solidarity.
In May 2025, the Dingri County Post-Earthquake Reconstruction Office was established, focusing on unified planning and the renovation and reinforcement of public housing. The Chinese government stated that 22,000 new houses were constructed and 10,500 renovated across 486 villages in seven counties, and that these have been distributed to the public. It is also reported that a total of 32,500 houses are being reconstructed or are currently under construction. Despite these claims, affected residents continue to face challenges due to the sub-standard quality of houses built in a short period, as well as the loss of land and property after being forced into crowded public housing. At the end of December 2025, Gyaltsen Norbu, the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama, visited the affected areas in Dingri, exhorting the public to acknowledge the benevolence of the Chinese government and to follow its unwavering directions.
7)Solar Panels and the Distress of Nomads in the Tibetan Plateau 
China continues to lead the world in solar energy consumption. In recent years, the Chinese government’s construction of numerous solar power plants across the mountains, valleys, and plains of the Tibetan plateau has caused significant alarm among the nomadic population. In 2025, the Chinese government constructed a 1,000-GW solar power station—claimed to be the world’s largest—in Khogla Township, Nyakchu County.
According to information obtained by Tibet Times, construction and expansion of solar projects persist in various regions, including Khyungchu County in Ngawa (Aba) Prefecture, Nyemo County, and Maldro Gongkar in Lhasa, as well as Nagormo in Tsognon (Qinghai) Province. Reports indicate that local nomads have been offered only minimal monetary compensation in exchange for their land.
Mingyur Dorjee, a Tibetan entrepreneur and owner of the Lhayak brand, highlighted the urgency of protecting Tibetan nomads and their grasslands in a widely circulated sixteen-minute video. In the footage, he explains that the Chinese government views solar power as a critical sector for new energy business ventures. “Currently, many solar power stations are being constructed across Tibet, particularly on nomadic grasslands,” he stated. “For generations, nomads have depended solely on these lands; their culture and way of life are entirely shaped by them. If nomads are separated from the grasslands, they are stripped of Tibetan customs and their traditional way of life.”
In a New York Times article “Why China Built 162 Square Miles of Solar Panels on the World’s Highest Plateau” reports that on the Tibetan Plateau, nearly 10,000 feet high, solar panels “stretch to the horizon” and cover an area seven times the size of Manhattan. These panels “soak up sunlight that is much brighter than at sea level because the air is so thin.”
8)Dismissal of High Ranking Officials in Tibet 
In 2025, at least nine high-ranking officials in the Tibetan region were investigated or sentenced.
On July 22th, 2025, reports emerged that the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI)—the Chinese Communist Party’s highest supervisory organ—was investigating Che Dalha, a former chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). He is suspected of corruption, including “losing ideological conviction,” violating core commitments, failing to implement strict Party governance, and accepting substantial bribes.
On July 16th, the Intermediate People’s Court of Beijing Municipality sentenced Wu Yingjie, a former Party Secretary of the TAR, to death with a two-year reprieve for illegally accepting over 343 million yuan in bribes.
A series of other investigations led to the dismissal of several other officials: Kalsang Namgyal, former head of the United Front Work Department of Dechen (Deqen/Diqing)Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, on December 22th; Tenzin, former deputy director of the Tsongon (Qinghai) Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration, in October; Jangchub, executive vice governor of Dechen (Deqen/Diqing) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture; and Qi Jianxin, governor of Dechen TAP, Yunnan Province on February 24th. These officials faced charges ranging from “lacking faith in the Chinese Communist regime” to “illegal profiteering.”
Additionally, on July 8th, Wang Yong, a former vice chairman of the TAR People’s Government, was convicted of accepting bribes exceeding 271 million yuan and received a death sentence with a two-year reprieve. Earlier, in March, Ji Guogang, vice chairman of the TAR People’s Congress Standing Committee, was investigated for serious legal violations. On December 24th, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and the National Supervisory Commission, the highest anti-graft watchdog announced that Wang Jun, a deputy chairperson of the same committee, was also under investigation for suspected “serious violations of law and discipline.”
9)Joint Military Training and Increase in Military Budget 
On November 19, 2025, the European defense and security publication DEFCROS reported that satellite imagery had uncovered a new high-altitude unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) testing facility. Located at an elevation of 4,300 meters above sea level, the site sits approximately 10 kilometers from Shiquanhe, a town along the Indus River in Ngari Prefecture within the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).
As the Chinese government continues to import large quantities of military-grade weaponry and conduct regular joint exercises in Lhasa and various border areas, extensive training took place on April 14, 2025. These operations occurred at a specialized joint military site established along the border between the TAR and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), featuring drills, missile tests, and the interception and destruction of drones and UAVs.
The Chinese daily Global Times reported a significant increase in the military budget approved during the 14th National People’s Congress and the third session of the 14th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on March 5, 2025. According to the report, the military and defense budget has significantly risen over the years; from 1.35 trillion yuan in 2021 to 1.45 trillion yuan in 2022 and from1.55 trillion yuan in 2023 to1.67 trillion yuan in 2024.For 2025, the military and defense expenditure is projected to reach 1.78 trillion yuan.
10)Death of a Tibetan Historian and an Artist 
On the evening of February 16th, 2025, the Tibetan historian and professor Tsenlha Ngawang Tsultrim passed away at the age of 96. His death was met with an outpouring of tributes and condolences from many writers, poets and scholars inside and outside Tibet. Professor Ngawang Tsultrim was born in Tsenlha, Gyalmo Rong, Tibet in 1930. In 1977, he joined the faculty at the
Southwest Minzu University, later becoming a distinguished professor.His works include “The Golden Mirror of Grammar Analysis,” “Collected Research Papers on Gyalrong,” “Dictionary of Gyalrong Dialect,” “Comparative Analysis of Amdo and Gyalrong Dialects,” “Collected Research Papers of Tsenlha Ngawang Tsultrim,” and “History and Culture of Gyalrong” (in Mandarin).He produced a body of translation works including,“The Unique Historical Volume of Lang Lineage,” “The Testament Chronicle,” and “The Pleasant Mirror of Tibetan History.” In addition, he also worked in archival documentation of classical texts, with works such as “The Seven Bards of Gesar Epic”, “Copper Colored Mountain: The Epic of Gesar”, “ Religious History of the Jonang Sect” and “ Supplement to the Religious History of the Jonang Sect”. His body of scholarly works are acclaimed throughout Tibet.
On the morning of February 10, 2025, the Tibetan singer Lugu Gyal passed away following a period of illness. Recognized as a premier artist in Tibet and Throughout China, he held the prestigious title of National Level 1 Performing Artist. He was deeply loved and widely acclaimed for his folk songs throughout Tibet.
11)Eco-destructive Firework Display Causes Distress Among Local Tibetans 
On the evening of September 19th, a site-specific art installation featuring a large-scale, multicolored fireworks display—designed to resemble a ‘rising dragon’—sparked significant environmental concerns. Curated by Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and commissioned by the Chinese-owned outdoor apparel company Arc’teryx, the event drew widespread criticism from both local residents and online commentators. Conducted as part of a so-called Art and Ecology Festival, the backlash centered on the fact that the display was carried out on a mountain near Ralung Township, Gyangtse County, in Tibet. Critics pointed out that the massive explosives caused considerable damage to the sensitive local ecology and wildlife, a situation compounded by the failure to thoroughly clean up the resulting debris and remnants.
In the aftermath of the backlash, the Shigatse Local government levied fines against both the artist and Arc’teryx for violating national preservation laws. Reports also indicated that four local officials associated with the event were dismissed from their positions.
Similarly, on October 13th, rocket debris plummeted from the sky, causing a massive explosion on the nomadic grasslands of Gomang Township, Mangra County, in Tsongon (Qinghai), Tibet. Distressed locals captured numerous videos and photos of the incident, which were subsequently shared on social media. Although the Chinese government offered no official clarification. Later reports confirmed that the Shiyan-31 optical imaging test satellite was launched from the Xining–Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on 13 October 2025, linking the rocket debris found on nomads’ grassland to the test.
