Zurich, Switzerland, 1 July 2026: A peaceful march and demonstration from Werdmühleplatz to the Chinese Consulate General in Zurich was organised by the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein in partnership with the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe (TYAE), the Tibetan Friendship Association Switzerland (GSTF), the World Uyghur Congress, the Swiss Tibetan Women’s Association, and The Church of Almighty God. The demonstration called on the international community to oppose China’s recently enacted “Ethnic Unity Law.”
The event began with an opening ceremony featuring addresses by Thinlay Chukki, Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Central and Eastern Europe, and Venerable Khenpo Tenzin Jangchup of Rikon Monastery. Thomas Buchli, President of GSTF, read a statement issued by the Swiss Parliamentary Group for Tibet, while Pema Dhakyel, Spokesperson of the Tibetan Youth Association in Europe, delivered the organisers’ joint press statement on the new ethnic law.
Representatives of the World Uyghur Congress, the Swiss Tibetan Women’s Association, and The Church of Almighty God also expressed their grave concerns over China’s “Ethnic Unity Law,” describing it as a policy that threatens the cultural, linguistic, and religious identities of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other ethnic minorities.
Representative Thinlay Chukki mentioned that:
“We have also seen the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights call for the repeal of this law because it is clear that this legislation is not intended to promote unity. Rather, it is designed to facilitate the complete erasure and forced assimilation of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other so-called ethnic minorities.
Today, I also stand in solidarity with the more than 157 Tibetans who have self-immolated in Tibet, calling for the return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and for freedom in Tibet.
Today, I stand with the Tibetan Community of Switzerland and Liechtenstein and with non-governmental organizations around the world that are calling for the repeal, rejection, and opposition of this law.
As our political leader, President Penpa Tsering, has urged in his recent appeal to governments around the world, it is high time for the international community to break its silence. It is time to call for freedom in Tibet, to stand with the Uyghur people, and to take meaningful action against the Chinese government’s assimilation policies targeting ethnic minorities.
It is also time for the international community to fulfill the responsibilities it has pledged to uphold under international law and various human rights conventions by demanding accountability from China for the human rights violations it continues to perpetrate in Tibet and the Uyghur regions.
It is time for parliamentary groups around the world—such as the Parliamentary Group for Tibet in Switzerland, the Parliamentary Group for Tibet in the Czech Republic, and the Parliamentary Group for Tibet in Italy—to stand together in opposing this law and to call unequivocally for its repeal.
On behalf of the Central Tibetan Administration, I express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have gathered here today to demand the repeal of this law and to stand for human rights, justice, and humanity.
Once again, I say that this law is not aimed at unity. This law is not aimed at progress. This law is aimed at forced assimilation. This law is aimed at the complete erasure and cultural genocide of Tibetans and other ethnic minorities.
Perhaps most alarming of all, this law seeks to silence not only Tibetans and Uyghurs but also those around the world who stand in solidarity with them. Through its claim of extraterritorial jurisdiction, the law attempts to legitimize the transnational repression that China carries out beyond its borders—not only against Tibetans and Uyghurs, but also against Swiss, Germans, Italians, Czechs, and people everywhere who stand with Tibet, who stand for human rights, and who stand for freedom.
Therefore, I once again say that it is high time for the international community to reflect seriously, assume its responsibility, and call unequivocally for the repeal of this law.”
More than 400 people, including Phuntsok Topgyal, UN Advocacy Officer from the Tibet Bureau, participated in the peaceful demonstration. Participants marched through the streets of Zurich to the Chinese Consulate General, urging the international community to reject the legislation and take concrete action to protect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of Tibetans, Uyghurs, and other affected communities.
The demonstration concluded with a renewed call on governments, international organisations, and parliamentarians to oppose China’s assimilation policies and advocate for the repeal of the “Ethnic Unity Law.”
– Report filed by Office of Tibet, Geneva
