Tibetans and Tibet organisations around the world are deeply saddened by the devastating earthquake [1] that struck Chinese-occupied Tibet on 7 January 2025 [2].
At this critical moment, the safety and welfare of those affected by the earthquake must be given full priority. To this end, we call on world governments to provide support and oversight to all of China's disaster relief efforts in order to ensure impacted Tibetan communities receive the required aid and assistance. They must also ensure the Chinese government does not use its earthquake response as a pretext to further its colonial policies in Tibet as it did following the 2010 earthquake in Jyekundo སྐྱེ་དགུ་མདོ། in Yushul ཡུས་ཤུལ། in the eastern Tibetan province of Kham ཁམས། [3]. They should also impress upon Beijing that it must not punish Tibetans who share information or attempt to contact family and friends about the impact of the earthquake or its response.
We further call on the international community – especially governments and media organisations – to use Tibetan place names in any statements or reporting, both as a matter of historical accuracy and respect for the cultural identity of the Tibetan people. This includes, for example, using Shigatse instead of the Chinese name Xigaze, and Tibet instead of the Chinese name Xizang. The Chinese government is engaged in a campaign to literally erase the word Tibet from the map in an effort to reduce recognition of Tibet as an entity separate from China [4].
The earthquake has exacerbated the existing vulnerabilities of the Tibetan people, who have suffered for more than seven decades under China's violent occupation of their nation. Tibet advocacy groups worldwide will continue to do everything in our power to fight for the fundamental rights and dignity of the Tibetan people and for the restoration of freedom in Tibet.
