Chinese authorities have launched a fresh crackdown on religious practices across several regions of Tibet, confiscating portraits of the Dalai Lama and detaining monks accused of “illegal religious activity.”
According to local reports, security forces have conducted raids since mid-October at Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in Shigatse and nearby villages, entering monks’ quarters and private homes to seize photos of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader.
Officials reportedly warned residents that displaying the Dalai Lama’s image constitutes a serious political crime, with threats of imprisonment for those who continue to venerate him. While no major violence has been reported, locals described an atmosphere of fear, with searches extending to rural households and smaller monasteries.
In a related move, monks and nuns were recently compelled to attend a Kalachakra initiation ceremony led by Gyaltsen Norbu, the Beijing-appointed “Panchen Lama,” whose legitimacy many Tibetans reject. Attendance was mandatory, and government officials were present to monitor compliance.
In eastern Tibet, several monks who protested against a planned hydropower project were detained and allegedly tortured after opposing the dam’s construction, which threatens to submerge monasteries and sacred sites.
Together, the incidents mark a tightening of state control over religious and cultural expression in Tibet, reinforcing Beijing’s efforts to bring Tibetan Buddhism under the framework of Communist Party ideology.
