Man sets himself ablaze at UN and dies, police say

A man set himself on fire outside the New York City headquarters of the United Nations on Thursday and died of his injuries, the city’s police department says.

US media and a pro-Tibet activist say the individual was a pro-Tibet campaigner, though investigators did not confirm this claim.

The New York Police Department tells AFP that “at 6:32 p.m. (1:32 a.m. Friday Israel time) NYPD received a call… A male set himself on fire at First Avenue and 42nd Street. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital. Investigations ongoing.” No motive is given.

The New York Post reports the individual had a Tibetan flag during the incident, but AFP could not independently verify the claim.

Tencho Gyatso, President of the International Campaign for Tibet, names the deceased man as Lobga Rangzen.

“Lobga was a tireless advocate for Tibet who devoted himself to peacefully raising awareness of the human rights crisis in Tibet,” Gyatso says in a statement to AFP.

Gyatso says Rangzen had railed against China’s new “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” that Beijing says aims to forge a “shared” national identity among ethnic groups.

Overseas campaigners have argued it will further degrade the rights of ethnic minorities, like Uyghurs and Tibetans, that Beijing is accused of persecuting.

The UN did not return a request for comment.