A man set fire near the UN headquarters in New York

The New York Police reported a tragic incident in which a man set himself on fire near the United Nations headquarters.

The victim, later identified as Lobga Rangzen, a Tibetan activist, was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Tencho Gyatso, the president of the International Campaign for Tibet, emphasized that Lobga Rangzen was a dedicated advocate for human rights who campaigned for awareness of the crisis in Tibet.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, expressed condolences to his family. The incident occurred in the context of a new law adopted by China aimed at strengthening ethnic unity, but which is perceived as a legal cover for the forced assimilation of minorities.

Tibet, invaded by China in 1950, continues to be a subject of international dispute, and the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, lives in exile in India.