Dharamshala: The government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has imposed sweeping security restrictions on Tibetans marking the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Credible sources report that Chinese authorities deployed large numbers of police to Karze Monastery, effectively confining monks and nuns within the monastery premises and preventing them from participating in any form of public or communal observance. Authorities issued strict orders forbidding households from producing any visible smoke — a targeted measure to suppress the centuries-old religious practice of burning juniper branches during Sangsol prayer rituals, an act meant to bring good fortune and dispel misfortune.
According to credible sources, around the time of His Holiness’ 90th birthday, Chinese authorities have intensified their surveillance and monitoring of Tibetans, including their communications, especially with those in exile, and day-to-day activities, all across Tibet. For instance, in Karze’s Drakgo County, authorities have issued an official notice prohibiting Tibetan people from gatherings until 23 July 2025. A number of Tibetans have been imprisoned and detained in Ba Zong and Siling (Ch: Xining), which are located in the traditional province of Amdo, with some being held in county-level state security offices. In any case, the relatives and family of those imprisoned have never been informed of the whereabouts and wellbeing of their loved ones.
In July, a team of BBC journalists visited the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba to speak with several monks about the current situation in Tibet. Shortly after the visit, Chinese authorities launched a crackdown on the monastery, interrogating numerous monks. The video report can be found here.
Chinese authorities have tightened their grip on religious freedom across Tibet’s major Kirti Monasteries, launching an aggressive crackdown that began intensifying in July 2025. From 13 July onward, security forces have targeted Ngaba Kirti Monastery in Ngaba County, Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Dzoge County, and Gyalrong Tsodun Kirti Monastery in Barkham County with sweeping new restrictions. Officials reportedly issued stern warnings to monks, ordering them to destroy all photographs, writings, and documents linked to Kirti Rinpoche, the revered Tibetan spiritual leader now living in exile. Authorities threatened that any monastery caught with such materials would face charges of “political crimes” — a serious accusation in China often used to justify harsh punishment, including long prison sentences.
Several months back, Chinese authorities have banned the display of Kirti Rinpoche’s photographs at Hor Tsang Kirti Monastery, one of the four major Kirti Monasteries in Tibet, located in Sangchu County, Gansu Province. The order extends beyond the monastery itself. Monks’ quarters and even local Tibetan households have been strictly prohibited from keeping or displaying images of the revered spiritual leader.
Chinese authorities have shut down the Buddhist Educational Administration Committee, a key body representing the four major Kirti monasteries known for their philosophical studies. Officials accused the committee of having ties to exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Kirti Rinpoche. In a sweeping crackdown, the Ngaba Autonomous Prefecture government in Sichuan Province, along with county-level authorities, jointly enforced a ban on displaying Kirti Rinpoche’s photographs.
In the months leading up to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s birthday, Chinese authorities intensified restrictions across Tibetan areas incorporated into China’s Qinghai Province. Tibetans returning to Tibet from abroad were blocked from entering monasteries and paying respects, with no official explanation given. In Yadzi (Chinese: Xunhua), Tsoshar Prefecture in Tibet’s Amdo region, monasteries were ordered not to allow gatherings of more than five monks. Local sources report that around 200 Tibetans were interrogated over alleged links to His Holiness’ birthday celebrations. Moreover, monks and nuns in many major Tibetan monasteries were barred from holding large prayers and assemblies.
In Kangtsa (Chinese: Gangcha) County, Amdo’s Tsojang (Chinese: Haibei) Prefecture, Chinese authorities have stepped up surveillance on Tibetans marking personal birthdays during the Dalai Lama’s 90th birth anniversary year. Security officers have carried out identity card checks and ordered residents to submit photographs of their private birthday gatherings to local public security offices.
On 25 July 2025, Chinese authorities detained two Tibetans in Chentsa (Ch: Jianza) County, Amdo’s Malho Prefecture. Officials gave no clear reason for the arrests with the whereabouts and wellbeing of the two remaining unknown, raising concern about their health.
Reports from the Tibetan capital Lhasa and the so-called Tibet Autonomous Regions including Maldrogungkar, shows deployment of large number of armed security personnel throughout Lhasa city. In Maldrogungkar, Chinese authorities reportedly issued orders prohibiting Tibetans from carrying out Sangsol, where Tibetans burn incense and junipers, often on hilltops or rooftops.
This year’s intensified measures are part of a broader pattern of China’s control over religious life in Tibet, particularly during culturally and spiritually significant dates. It is also a calculated move to cut ties between Tibetans with His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the use of threats and punishments. The ongoing restrictions are emblematic of the PRC’s systematic violation of the International human rights laws including Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as its Constitution, that at least on paper, safeguard the right to freely practice one’s religion without government’s interference.
– Filed by UN, EU, and the Human Rights Desk, Tibet Advocacy Section, DIIR
