NEWSLETTERS
Tibet Update – March 2026
INSIDE:
A message from ICT Chairman Richard Gere
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Hear ICT Chairman Richard Gere share words of inspiration from his recent trip Dharamsala, India.
Bipartisan House and Senate letters to new US Tibet Coordinator call for comprehensive support
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Following Assistant Secretary of State Riley M. Barnes’s February appointment as US Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, a bipartisan group of 12 House Members led by Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Young Kim (R-CA) sent a joint letter to Barnes sharing their recommendations for how he can best support the Tibetan people.
The March 9 letter to Barnes covers the resumption of Sino-Tibetan dialogue, preventing Chinese interference in the Dalai Lama’s succession, increasing support for the Central Tibetan Administration, and more. Shortly after the House letter was sent, Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and John Curtis (R-UT) sent a similar bipartisan letter to Assistant Secretary Barnes, highlighting Congress’s bipartisan and bicameral commitment to the people of Tibet.
ICT Chairman Richard Gere, along with President Tencho Gyatso, Executive Director Ryan Fioresi, and ICT Germany Executive Director Kai Mueller, visited Dharamsala, India to participate in the Special Meeting of Tibet Support Groups from over 30 countries, joining to honor His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s 90th Birthday, and participate in the March 10 Tibetan National Uprising Day commemorations.
Their time in Dharamsala included a special visit to the Tibetan Childrens’ Village (TCV) school, and an interactive session with the older students talking about personal engagement and connections to Tibet, as well as an overview of ICT, our membership and our work for Tibet.
ICT actively engaged in the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) from February 23 to March 31, 2026, in Geneva. Through oral statements on behalf of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, meetings with UN Special Procedures and diplomatic outreach, ICT highlighted ongoing human rights violations in Tibet and raised concerns regarding China’s assimilationist policies targeting Tibetan identity, language and culture. For a detailed analysis of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s “Ethnic Unity” law, read ICT’s in-depth report.
Thousands rally around the globe to commemorate Tibet’s March 10 Uprising Day
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On March 10, 2026, thousands of Tibetans and supporters of Tibetan freedom gathered in cities and towns to remember the sacrifice and courage of Tibetans’ 1959 uprising against China’s invasion and annexation of their homeland. The commemorations also honored Tibetans who have died as a result of China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and underlined the threat the CCP poses to Tibet’s unique linguistic, cultural and religious heritage.
In Washington, DC, activists including volunteers from ICT joined members of the Capital Area Tibetan Association at the Chinese Embassy and read statements from six bipartisan Members of the US Congress demanding that the PRC end its campaign of cultural erasure in Tibet. The advocates then marched peacefully through the northwest portion of the city to raise awareness about the 1959 uprising.
Freedom House report shows no reprieve in intense repression in Tibet
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Tibet’s global freedom score is zero for the third year in a row, according to the Freedom in the World 2026 report released by the watchdog group Freedom House on March 19, and Tibet remains “not free.” In Freedom House’s 2026 profile of Tibet, which is based on conditions and data from 2025, Tibet has a political rights score of –2 out of a possible 40 and a civil liberties score of 2 out of a possible 60, combining for an overall score of 0 out of 100. Tibet’s score of 0 ties with South Sudan for second lowest on the list of 208 areas examined.
USCIRF decries PRC campaign against Tibetan Buddhism in annual report
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ICT is deeply concerned about the Chinese government’s egregious and ongoing violations of religious freedom in Tibet as documented by the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in their 2026 report, which was released on March 4, 2026. “The 2026 USCIRF report lays bare the repression that Tibetans endure under a government that sees Tibetan Buddhism as a threat and denies the basic fundamental right of religion or belief to Tibetans every day,” said ICT President Tencho Gyatso. “I ask the international community to do more to pressure Beijing to end its campaign to destroy Tibet’s unique religious heritage.”
Tibetan monk enduring six-year prison sentence for efforts to safeguard linguistic heritage
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ICT has learned that, after nearly five years of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, 52-year-old Tibetan monk Palden Yeshi the Kardze (Ganzi) Monastery is serving a six-year prison sentence in Chushul (Qushui) Prison southwest of the Tibetan capital Lhasa. Details regarding his imprisonment are still being ascertained, but sources contacted by ICT believe he was jailed by the CCP for his efforts to preserve the Tibetan language. For nearly five years, his whereabouts remained unknown to his family until a relative was permitted to visit him in late February 2026 at Chushul Prison. During the visit, Yeshi revealed to the relative that he is serving a six-year sentence.
ICT has learned of the death in police custody of Samten, a 25-year-old monk from Ditsa Geden Tashi Choedingling Monastery in Amdo in present-day Qinghai Province. On December 18, 2025, local police in Shongshan Tibetan Township, in Palung (Hualong) Hui Autonomous County, Tsoshar (Haidong), Qinghai Province, returned Samten’s body to the monastery, claiming he “suddenly fell ill” and died during an unsuccessful emergency transfer to an unspecified hospital. However, local sources suspect that Samten was beaten to death during interrogation by Chinese officials. News of his death began circulating in March 2026.
Upon returning his remains in 2025, Chinese authorities ordered the monks not to disclose any information regarding Samten’s death. The current situation of Samten’s family remains unknown. Owing to Chinese authorities’ severe restrictions on access to information, when and for what reasons Samten was taken into police custody are currently unknown.
Sign up to get texts from ICT!
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We’ve launch something exciting, and we want you to be among the first to be a part of it: a way to get real-time updates from ICT, participate in urgent advocacy, and get an insider’s look at our work for the Tibetan people. Join in by signing up for text messages from ICT!
When you sign up, you’ll become part of a conversation that brings you closer and more connected to our work—because you’ll hear directly from the ICT team and leaders in the movement for Tibet.
- A message from ICT Chairman Richard Gere
- Bipartisan House and Senate letters to new US Tibet Coordinator call for comprehensive support
- ICT in Dharamsala
- ICT condemns China’s repression in Tibet, troubling “Ethnic Unity” law at the 61st Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council
- Thousands rally around the globe to commemorate Tibet’s March 10 Uprising Day
- Freedom House report shows no reprieve in intense repression in Tibet
- USCIRF decries PRC campaign against Tibetan Buddhism in annual report
- Tibetan monk enduring six-year prison sentence for efforts to safeguard linguistic heritage
- Young Tibetan monk dies in Chinese custody amid repression of monks who celebrated Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday
- Sign up to get texts from ICT!
- Going fast: exclusive new items in ICT’s online store…
- Smart Giving: A savvy choice to make a big impact during periods of financial unpredictability
SUPPORT TIBET
Going fast: exclusive new items in ICT's online store…
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Exciting news! We've added exclusive new items to our online store, and they are selling quickly, so grab your today. Illustrated notepads, note cards, new tote bags, and more…
We have just 34 copies of ICT's 2026 calendar remaining! Great Compassion is a celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday and the power of compassion—the quiet strength and the power it holds to heal and transform. We are deeply honored to collaborate with our friends at Mutts Comics to share some of our favorite illustrations and quotes from Heart to Heart, a remarkable collaboration between His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and renowned illustrator Patrick McDonnell. With gentle wisdom and moving simplicity, this book invites us to reflect on our connection to one another and to this Earth we all live on. It is a call for a Compassionate Revolution—a reminder, as His Holiness writes, that "we are indeed all members of a single family, sharing one little house."
Smart Giving: A savvy choice to make a big impact during periods of financial unpredictability
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From climate change to the survival of democracy, Tibet is at the heart of the biggest challenges facing our world. That's why we're thrilled to share financially smart ways to give that will promote human rights and democratic freedoms for the people of Tibet:
- Stock: When you donate appreciated stock, you can save on two types of taxes by avoiding capital gains tax and often getting a full deduction for the value of your gift.
- IRA gifts: If you're 70.5 or older, donations from your IRA reduce your taxable income and can help meet a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) if you must take one.
- Donor-Advised Funds: With a grant recommendation from your Donor-Advised Fund, you can give from the money you've already set aside without spending an additional cent!
- Crypto: A donation of appreciated cryptocurrency can help you avoid capital gains taxes and get a big tax deduction.
We hope you consider the donation option(s) best for you, and together, we can shift the balance toward compassion and kindness.
When you give these types of gifts, please use the tools linked above so we can track your gift, send you the right receipt and ensure you get the tax savings you deserve.