(TibetanReview.net, May19’25) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has on May 18 demanded the immediate release of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama of Tibet, abducted by Chinese authorities 30 years ago at the age of six, while for the first time a spokesperson of the European Union has publicly expresses concern on his wellbeing, both in their X platform tweets.
Also, a group of members of the European Parliament (MEPs) has called on the EU’s top diplomat, Ms Kaja Kallas, to seek clarity from China on the current whereabouts of the 30-year abduction-disappeared leader of Tibetan Buddhism.
“Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was only six years old when Chinese authorities abducted him 30 years ago. The Panchen Lama should be released immediately”, Rubio stated in a post on X, highlighting the long-standing issue of the Panchen Lama’s enforced disappearance.
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Earlier, on May 17, Anouar El Anouni, Spokesperson of the EU, publicly expresses concern regarding the wellbeing of the 11th Panchen Lama, marking the first time such a person has made the call, said the Office of Tibet, Brussels, on its Tibet.net posting May 18.
It said Anouni’s X tweet emphasises the EU’s position that religious communities must be allowed to conduct their fundamental affairs without interference from any government.
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Also, a group of seven MEPs belonging to four political groups has expressed deep concern over the continuing lack of information on the whereabouts of the 30-year-long abducted leader of Tibetan Buddhism, and tabled urgent questions to Ms Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
As the EU continues to engage with China on human rights issues, MEPs are calling for a more robust and coordinated approach to ensure the Panchen Lama’s case remains a priority in diplomatic discussions, said the Office of Tibet, Brussels, on its Tibet.net posting May 19.
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Meanwhile, German MP Michael Brand, Chairman of the Tibet Parliamentary Group in the Bundestag, has also issued a statement, urging Beijing to release the 11th Panchen Lama and provide information about his well-being.
He has called the Panchen Lama’s abduction not only a crime against a child but also symbolic of the regime’s deep fear of Tibetan Buddhism.
He has accused Beijing of trying to erase the traditional Tibetan religious process by imposing its own hand-picked replacement for the Panchen Lama—an act widely rejected by Tibetans. He sees this as a deliberate attempt to control the future of Tibetan Buddhism and its leadership.
On May 14, 1995, the then six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was recognized and proclaimed by the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama. He had passed away in southern Tibet’s Shigatse city on Jan 28, 1989. Just three days after that, on May 17, 1995, the Chinese Communist Party abducted him, and his family. Beijing then appointed another boy, Gyaincain Norbu, as the Panchen Lama despite lacking any legitimacy for playing such an esoteric religious role.