The death of Tibetan activist Lobg Rangzen, the Queens Uber driver and Tibetan activist who set himself on fire outside the United Nations to protest the Chinese occupation of his native home, has left Mayor Mamdani “heartbroken,” the mayor said Saturday.
“No one should feel that such a desperate act is the only way to make the world listen,” the Mayor said on X. “New York stands for the dignity and human rights of all people.”
Rangzen, 52, livestreamed his self-immolation. He also recorded a six-minute appeal for Tibet’s freedom and independence in his native language before putting on traditional monastic robes and walking to 42nd St and First Ave. around 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“So if I do a big action today, I want you to know it is not for any personal reason,” he said in the video. “It is not because I have nothing to eat or nothing to wear, but because I am doing this for my country. For the Tibetan nation.”
“We mourn this tragic loss and extend our deepest condolences to his loved ones and the Tibetan community across our city,” Mamdani said.
As he approached the U.N. he put his phone down on the street and recorded his self-immolation.
The extremely graphic video posted online shows Rangzen walking to a spot on the street carrying a Tibetan flag. A moment later, his entire body erupts in flames.
Fliers reading “China out of Tibet” in his hands catch fire as they’re tossed onto the street.
Rangzen appears to flail and takes several steps as the fire consumes him. He stays on his feet for more than 30 seconds before he collapses, the footage shows.
EMS rushed him to Bellevue Hospital, but he couldn’t be saved.
A U.N. spokesman said the incident happened after all scheduled meetings were finished for the day. No U.N. operations were affected, he said.
Rangzen’s death came a day after China began enforcing the Ethnic Unity and Progress Law in Tibet. The law creates a “shared national identity” among China’s 55 ethnic minority group and gives Beijing the legal basis to take action against them.
There have been more than 150 self-immolations by Tibetans between 2009 and 2022, according to the International Campaign for Tibet.