The Dalai Lama’s 91st Birthday (July 6): The German Government Must Protect the Religious Freedom of Tibetans

On the occasion of the Dalai Lama’s 91st birthday this coming Monday (July 6), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns against the Chinese government’s planned attempt to take control of his succession. “The People’s Republic of China is claiming control over a religious institution over which it has no authority,” explains Mirjam Kobold, STP’s Advisor for Asia. The STP calls on the German government to take a clear stand against this policy of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

When the Dalai Lama recognized the Panchen Lama in 1995, Beijing had the then-six-year-old boy abducted and installed its own candidate. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima has been missing for 31 years. “It can be assumed that the Communist Party is planning something similar for the highest institution of Tibetan Buddhism,” warns Kobold.

The Dalai Lama is the spiritual leader for many Tibetans. The spiritual teachers of Tibetan Buddhism are called lamas. According to Tibetan belief, certain lamas are considered conscious reincarnations of their predecessors and are recognized as such in a child after their death. The current Dalai Lama, for example, was found at the age of two. It is precisely this religious process that the Chinese state has appropriated for itself: Since 2007, the People’s Republic has, by administrative decree, made the recognition of all reincarnations subject to state approval and has declared reincarnations of lamas outside China to be invalid. According to the CPC, the next Dalai Lama is to be found in China and confirmed by the central government. “The agenda behind this is obvious: whoever holds the highest religious office controls the religion as a whole. Tibetan Buddhism is to be subjected to Beijing’s concept of unity,” says Kobold.

“The German government remains silent on the succession issue—just as it remained silent on human rights during the recent trips to China by Chancellor Merz and Economics Minister Reiche,” criticizes Kobold. “Anyone who narrows engagement with Beijing to trade and market access while ignoring fundamental rights—such as the Tibetans’ freedom of religion—is ceding the field to the Communist Party and accepting its rules of the game. We expect an end to this sellout of human rights and a clear statement: A Dalai Lama appointed by the Communist Party will not be recognized.”

Five UN special rapporteurs have criticized China’s plans and the 2025 regulations as a violation of religious freedom and warned that a successor appointed in defiance of Tibetan traditions would have “no cultural, religious, or communal authenticity.”

However, the CPC’s encroachments on Tibetan identity go even further: Just on July 1, the new “ethnic unity” law went into effect, requiring religious communities to undergo “Sinicization.” Many Tibetans in exile speak of cultural genocide.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at 65]G378o6DD6CA.