Tsewang Norbu died in the People’s Hospital of Tibet Autonomous Region in Tibet’s capital of Lhasa in the first weekend of March 2022, reliable sources have informed the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), reported ANI.

Judging by the current security measures to conceal his death and past state practices toward Tibetan political activists, it is likely that his body was not returned to his family and instead secretly cremated, the Indian news agency reported.

The Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (TCHRD) said has been informed by credible sources that Tsewang Norbu, 25, a famous Tibetan singer died of self-immolation on 25 February this year protesting the Chinese government’s repression at the Potala Palace Square in Lhasa, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), in the Tibetan province of U-Tsang.

File image of Tsewang Norbu from Twitter

A Tibetan inside Tibet confirmed to the organization that as soon as Norbu set himself on fire, Chinese security officers sprang into action and took him away. He died several days later.

Sources familiar with the deceased told TCHRD that the prevailing circumstances of extreme government surveillance and censorship are making it difficult to obtain tangible evidence such as photos or footage of the self-immolation or for any witnesses to come forward.