Tibetan Activist Driven to Suicide Attempt During Xi Jinping Propaganda Show in Lhasa

Gonpo Kyi holds a portrait of Xi Jinping during one of her protests at the courthouse in Lhasa, February 2024

While Xi Jinping arrived in Lhasa on 20 August 2025 for a carefully orchestrated propaganda show celebrating 60 years of Chinese occupation, Tibetan activist Gonpo Kyi jumped from the second floor of the Yak Hotel in desperation. This shocking act of resistance unmasks the horrific reality behind China’s facade of “stability and harmony” in Tibet.

Systematic Terror Against Family Members of Political Prisoners

Gonpo Kyi, the elder sister of wrongfully imprisoned businessman Dorjee Tashi, was confined in her brother’s hotel during Xi’s visit. When she attempted to leave on 18 August to visit her brother in the notorious Drapchi Prison, security forces violently dragged her back and held her captive.

Her brother Dorjee Tashi, a formerly successful entrepreneur and philanthropist, has been serving a life sentence since 2008 on fabricated charges of fraud. The real reason: he refused to comply with corrupt demands from local officials and was branded a “separatist” following the 2008 Tibetan uprisings.

Years of Courage and Despair

Since June 2022, Gonpo Kyi has been waging a tireless campaign for her brother’s release. She has repeatedly held sit-ins at the courthouse in Lhasa, in February 2024 even holding a large portrait of Xi Jinping — a direct appeal to China’s leader to uphold justice.

The Chinese authorities responded with brutal suppression:

• March 2023: Gonpo Kyi was detained overnight, tortured and assaulted
• Repeated arrests, house arrest and physical violence
• More than seven peaceful hunger strikes were forcibly ended
• Her husband Choekyong and brother Dorjee Tseten were also detained

On 19 August 2025, she made a video confronting the Chinese agents guarding her: “My right to visit my brother is being systematically blocked.” A day later, broken by the relentless terror, she jumped from the building. She survived but sustained serious injuries to her leg and back.

Xi’s Propaganda Show Versus Reality

Xi Jinping’s historic visit — the first time a Chinese president has personally attended the anniversary celebrations — was announced only 12 hours in advance. While 20,000 carefully selected spectators waved Chinese flags in front of the Potala Palace, Tibetan activists were banished from Lhasa or locked away.

Dorjee Tseten, another brother of the imprisoned businessman, was forcibly confined in Lhoka Prefecture, south of Lhasa. Numerous other Tibetans deemed “threatening to the state’s image” received travel bans or were preventively detained.

Xi’s message during the celebrations was telling: “To govern, stabilise and develop Tibet, the first requirement is to maintain political stability, social stability, ethnic unity and religious harmony.” Translated: total suppression of every form of dissent.

Not an Isolated Incident

Gonpo Kyi’s suicide attempt is not an isolated incident but the direct result of China’s systematic state oppression. While Xi Jinping paraded before the cameras, a desperate woman lay in hospital with broken bones — the true face of 60 years of Chinese occupation.