On February 23, 2026, the quiet mountain town of Dharamshala, India, became the stage for a moving display of solidarity and remembrance, as former political prisoners from Chinese-ruled Tibet—now scattered across 15 countries—gathered with members of the Lhasa Boys’ Association, a Swiss-based Tibetan welfare service NGO, to honor the Dalai Lama. The occasion was a long-life prayer offering for His Holiness, held at the Tsuglakhang, the main temple adjacent to the Dalai Lama’s residence. This event was not just a spiritual gesture, but a powerful act of cultural resilience and a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggles faced by Tibetans under Chinese governance.
According to TibetanReview.net, the ceremony was part of a year-long series commemorating the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, which was celebrated on July 6, 2025. These global events aim to shine a spotlight on the Dalai Lama’s enduring legacy, his four principal commitments, and, inevitably, the unresolved question of Tibet’s future. The gathering in Dharamshala was graced by Kundelling Rinpoché, who presided over a parade of offerings, and culminated in a declaration that paid homage to the Dalai Lama’s lifelong work for peace, inter-religious harmony, and the preservation of Tibetan identity.
One of the most striking moments came as a representative of the former political prisoners presented a unique memento to the Dalai Lama: a painting depicting him surrounded by key figures who have shaped his journey—his teachers, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, and others. The gesture was more than symbolic; it was a testament to the Dalai Lama’s broad influence and the global network of support that continues to rally behind him and the Tibetan cause.
Ngawang Sangdol, herself a well-known former political prisoner, delivered a heartfelt speech that did not shy away from the harsh realities facing Tibet. She spoke of the "tragic turn of events in Tibet’s history with its armed occupation by China, the existential threat Tibet continues to face today and the Dalai Lama’s pivotal contribution to preserving the Tibetan culture and identity in exile." Her words, echoing through the temple, underscored the gravity of the situation for Tibetans—both those in exile and those still under Chinese rule.
The ceremony concluded with recitations of Buddhist prayers, including the ‘Prayer for the Ecumenical Flourishing of the Teaching of the Buddha,’ the ‘Prayer of the Words of Truth,’ and verses from the Samantabhadra Prayer, also known as the King of Prayers—a renowned Mahayana Buddhist text focusing on compassion and enlightenment for all beings. The following day, the Dalai Lama himself led a prayer service at the Tsuglakhang, dedicated to the many Tibetans who have sacrificed for their homeland and those who continue to endure persecution under Chinese authority.
These ceremonies, while deeply spiritual, cannot be divorced from the broader context of human rights in China. As detailed in a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), China under Xi Jinping has become an "increasingly repressive authoritarian regime" with a party-state apparatus that has, in the words of Freedom House, shifted further toward totalitarianism. Since Xi took the helm as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 2012, the state has enforced greater ideological conformity and tighter control over society, leveraging digital technologies and a vast internet censorship system to stifle dissent.
According to CRS, arbitrary arrest, detention, and enforced disappearance are "systemic" in China, with police targeting religious leaders, rights lawyers, activists, independent journalists, and dissidents. As of March 2025, the Dui Hua Foundation identified 7,157 active cases of political prisoners in the country. The space for social activism has been all but closed, and the government’s crackdown on civil and political rights is felt acutely in regions like Tibet and Xinjiang.
For Tibetans, these policies have translated into religious and political repression, forced assimilation, and the incarceration of hundreds of writers, intellectuals, and cultural figures on broad charges of “separatism.” Since 2018, Tibetan monks and nuns have been required to undergo education in CPC ideology and demonstrate "political reliability." The government’s assimilation policies have included resettling and urbanizing nomads and farmers, with some reports highlighting elements of forced labor.
The plight of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang has also drawn international condemnation. Between 2017 and 2019, more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslims were detained in "vocational education and training" centers—facilities widely described as reeducation camps. Detainees have reportedly been subjected to food deprivation, psychological pressure, sexual abuse, forced sterilization, medical neglect, torture, and forced labor. In 2026, United Nations human rights experts stated that labor transfer programs involving Uyghurs "may amount to forcible transfer and/or enslavement as a crime against humanity." The U.S. Department of State has gone so far as to label China’s actions in Xinjiang as crimes against humanity and genocide, a designation reaffirmed in its 2024 human rights reports.
In response, U.S. policymakers have taken a range of actions—from targeted legislation like the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020 and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, and import restrictions on goods produced with forced labor. The recently enacted FY2026 appropriations bill allocates resources for human rights promotion activities in China, even as the Trump Administration has been criticized for curtailing some longstanding U.S. efforts in this arena.
Yet, the question of effectiveness remains hotly debated in Washington. Some argue that U.S. capacity to deter Chinese human rights abuses is limited, while others believe that international pressure and sanctions can help moderate Beijing’s practices. The CPC, for its part, views external criticism as a threat to its hold on power and continues to assert that human rights standards are a matter of national sovereignty and economic development.
Back in Dharamshala, as prayers echoed for the Dalai Lama’s long life and the well-being of Tibetans everywhere, the underlying message was clear: the struggle for human rights and cultural survival is far from over. The Dalai Lama himself remains optimistic, expressing his hope to continue championing the cause of global peace, inter-religious harmony, and the revival of ancient Indian knowledge for decades to come. For Tibetans and their supporters, these ceremonies are not just about honoring a spiritual leader—they are a call to the world not to forget the ongoing crisis in Tibet and the broader challenges facing ethnic and religious minorities in China today.
In a world where headlines often move on too quickly, these moments of remembrance and resistance serve as a reminder that the fight for dignity, freedom, and identity continues—sometimes quietly, sometimes in exile, but always with hope.