On 25th April 2003, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima will be 14 years old. He will have spent eight years being held by the Chinese authorities because of who he is.

 

In 1995, he was just six years old when following his recognition as the 11th Panchen Lama by the Dalai Lama, Gedhun and his family were abducted by the Chinese authorities. These same authorities were desperate to control the top Tibetan Buddhist positions as a means of combating the political dissent that emanated from the ranks of nuns and monks in the late 1980s and 1990s.

 

Despite requests from the UN and numerous governments, the Chinese authorities have so far refused to allow impartial international observers to meet with Gedhun and his family to check on their health and well-being.

Please print off this birthday card by clicking on the link below in order to send this to the Chinese Embassy in London to help mark Gedhun's birthday and to remind the Chinese authorities that the world has not forgotten him.

You can also download a case sheet on Gedhun to write to the authorities highlighting your concerns.