A young Tibetan man died after self-immolating in front of a monastery in northwest China on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua said, citing provincial government officials.
An exile Tibetan woman lights candles at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala as she mourns the deaths of Tibetans who self-immolated in protest against Chinese rule. A young Tibetan man died after self-immolating in front of a monastery in northwest China on Saturday, state news agency Xinhua said, citing provincial government officials.
The 18-year-old became the seventh Tibetan to set himself on fire in the last week, in an escalating wave of protests as China's leaders gather for a once-in-a-decade power transition.
The man, identified as Gonpo Tsering, set himself alight at 2:00 pm (0600 GMT) in the city of Hezuo in the Tibetan autonomous prefecture of Gannan, Xinhua reported, adding that the case was being investigated.
The incident comes after a wave of similar protests in recent days, which included an 18-year-old man who self-immolated outside a monastery in Huangnan prefecture in Qinghai province, where a 23-year-old woman also died after setting herself alight the previous day.
A trio of young monks aged 16 or under set themselves on fire Wednesday in Aba County, Sichuan province, leaving one dead and the others injured.
The protests come as China's Communist Party leaders meet in Beijing for a week-long power transition, expected to end with the transfer of power to Vice President Xi Jinping, who will govern the country for a decade.
Self-immolations to protest against Chinese rule have occurred regularly since March 2011, and a total of 69 have set themselves on fire since February 2009, of whom 54 died, according to the India-based Tibetan government in exile.