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Police in New York City said on Thursday that a man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters, and activists and a media outlet of exiled Tibetans identified him as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence.

A New York City Police Department spokesman said police responding to an emergency call made around 6:30 p.m. local time on Thursday found the man badly burned. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said, adding that an investigation was ongoing. Police did not name the man.

Voice of Tibet, a media outlet of exiled Tibetans, said Tibetan activist Logba Rangzen “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan independence and unity.”

Coverage comparison

Both the Jerusalem Post and The Hindu reported the incident with a neutral focus on the death and the ongoing investigation. Their reporting attributed the man's actions to protest against China's policies in Tibet, and both carried the same core facts: the man was identified as Tibetan, he was taken to Bellevue Hospital, and he was an Uber driver who went to the scene with a Tibetan flag.

The Jerusalem Post, in its article credited to Reuters, added that police did not provide any potential motive for the man's action. The Hindu's report also included the identification and the investigation status without naming the man.

Both outlets quoted fellow Uber driver Lobsang Paljor, who said he knew Rangzen from gatherings in the Tibetan community. Paljor told local news site amNewYork that Rangzen “was enraged by the restrictions the Chinese government had placed on his countrymen.”

Key claims

  • A man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters in New York City, as reported by both the Jerusalem Post and The Hindu.
  • The man was identified as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence, according to activists and Voice of Tibet, as reported by both outlets.
  • The man was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, with an investigation ongoing, according to police.
  • The man was an Uber driver and went to the scene with a Tibetan flag, as reported by local news site amNewYork, which was quoted by both outlets.
  • China's new ethnic unity law, which went into effect this week, gives Beijing the legal basis to take action against people outside its borders, as reported by both outlets.
  • Tibetans around the world have opposed the law, according to both outlets.
  • China seized control of Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a “peaceful liberation” from feudalistic serfdom, as reported by both outlets.
  • International human rights groups and exiles have routinely condemned what they call China's oppressive rule in Tibetan areas, as reported by both outlets.
  • Beijing has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet since Xi Jinping became the country's president in 2012, as reported by both outlets.

Context

The incident occurs against the backdrop of the recent enactment of China's ethnic unity law, which the United States and the European Union have expressed concern about. The law creates a “shared” national identity among the country's 55 ethnic minority groups, including Tibetans and Uyghurs, some of whom chafe under Chinese governance.

Tibetans have previously committed acts of self-immolation in protest against Beijing's policies in Tibet and nearby regions with large Tibetan populations. International human rights groups and exiles have routinely condemned what they call China's oppressive rule in Tibetan areas.

Beijing has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet since Xi Jinping became the country's president in 2012. The Chinese government describes its seizure of Tibet in 1950 as a “peaceful liberation” from feudalistic serfdom.