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This is a list of notable people who committed self-immolation, the act of setting themselves on fire for political reasons. Non-political self-immolations are not included in the list.
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Kuo-shun | – | Republic of China (Communist-controlled Zone) | Persecution of Buddhists and destruction of sacred objects by the government of Mao Zedong | Buddhist monk from Vietnam. [1] In the city of Harbin, he sat in the lotus position on a pile of sawdust and soybean oil and self-immolated. [2] [3] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
December 8, 1959 | Poh Kwong | – | Thailand | Loss of money intended to build a new hospital, was possibly swindled through government corruption | Buddhist monk from China. In the city of Bangkok, he sat on a five-foot pyre and attempted to self-immolate before being stopped by police. [1] [4] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
June 11, 1963 | Thích Quảng Đức | 66 | South Vietnam | Persecution of Buddhists by the government of Ngô Đình Diệm | Led to several other monks and nuns committing the same act. Before Diệm was toppled, the photo, photographed by Malcolm Browne, became well-associated with his political protest. |
August 4, 1963 | Thích Nguyen Huong | 20s | Buddhist monk. Self-immolated in the town center of Phan Thiết. Government soldiers removed his body before other monks could recover it. [5] | ||
August 13, 1963 | Thích Thanh Tucd | 17 | Buddhist novice monk. [5] | ||
August 15, 1963 | Diet Quảng | – | Buddhist nun. Self-immolated in the courtyard of Từ Đàm Pagoda in Huế. [5] | ||
August 16, 1963 | Thích Tieu | 71 | Buddhist monk. He soaked his robes in gasoline and self-immolated in the courtyard of Từ Đàm Pagoda in Huế. Before, he announced over the loudspeaker that he was going to commit suicide in demand for Buddhist rights. After his death (the third self-immolation in one week), the government declared martial law, sparking more Buddhist protests. [5] | ||
October 27, 1963 | Ho Dan Van | 35–45 | Buddhist monk. Dressed in civilian clothing, he was dropped off by a motorcyclist in front of a Catholic cathedral in Saigon, where he squatted in a lotus-fashion, poured gasoline in his lap and struck a match. [6] | ||
December 1963 | unidentified female | South Vietnam | Vietnam War | Three men self-immolated in the next week, all for personal reasons. [7] | |
January 25, 1964 | Kizappazuvur Chinnasamy | 27 | India | Imposition of Hindi over the Tamil language | Inspired 5 other self-immolations. [5] [8] |
1965 | Keeranoor Muthu | 21 | Hotel worker [5] | ||
January 26, 1965 | Kodambakkam Sivalingam | 21 | Madras city government employee [5] | ||
January 27, 1965 | Virugambakkam Aranganathan | 33 | Worked in Madras for the Telephone Department. [5] | ||
February 11, 1965 | Ayampalayam Veerappan | 26 | School headmaster [5] | ||
February 1965 | Satyamangalam Muthu | 21 | Farmer [5] | ||
March 1965 | Mayavaram Sarangapani | 20 | Student [5] | ||
March 16, 1965 | Alice Herz | 82 | United States | Vietnam War | Women Strike for Peace member. Self-immolated on a street corner in Detroit, Michigan. [5] |
July 23, 1965 | Huh Jik | 62 | South Korea | Treaty on Basic Relations between Japan and the Republic of Korea | Worked for a minor political party. Self-immolated on the steps of the Seoul Capitol. [5] |
October 12, 1965 | Hiroko Hayasaki | 36 | United States | Vietnam War | Japanese American Buddhist. Self-immolated in San Diego, California. [5] |
November 2, 1965 | Norman Morrison | 31 | Quaker from Baltimore. [5] Committed act below Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's Pentagon office in front of his one-year-old daughter. [9] | ||
November 9, 1965 | Roger Allen LaPorte | 22 | Catholic Worker. Self-immolated in front of the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City. [10] | ||
November 9, 1965 | Celene Jankowski | 24 | Mother whose three-month-old baby girl died in October 1965. Her brother had also died in the Korean War. Self-immolated in front of her home in South Bend, Indiana. [5] Survived. | ||
April 7, 1966 | Nikolai Didyk | 26 | Soviet Union | Government refusal to let him fight in the Vietnam War | Died on April 10. [11] |
May 28, 1966 | Thích Nữ Thanh Quảng | 55 | South Vietnam | Government of Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and United States support of the regime (Buddhist Uprising) | Buddhist nun. [5] [12] |
May 28, 1966 | Ho Thi Thieu | 58 | Buddhist laywoman. Self-immolated in pagoda in Saigon. Thousands were present, and monks covered her body with a Buddhist flag. [5] [12] | ||
May 28, 1966 | Thích Nữ Vinh Ngoc | 19 | Buddhist nun. Self-immolated in Huế. [5] [13] | ||
May 29, 1966 | Name missing | – | Buddhist monk self-immolated in Da Lat. [12] | ||
May 31, 1966 | Nguyen Thi Van | 17 | Buddhist laywoman. Self-immolated outside a pagoda in Huế. [5] [13] | ||
May 31, 1966 | Name missing | – | Buddhist [13] | ||
May 31, 1966 | Name missing | – | Buddhist [13] | ||
June 4, 1966 | Thích Nữ Dien Dinh | 26 | Buddhist nun. Self-immolated in the courtyard of a small pagoda in Da Nang. [5] [13] | ||
June 4, 1966 | Thích Nữ Bao Luan | 24 | Buddhist nun. Self-immolated in the same location as Thích Du Dien Dinh in Da Nang. [5] [13] | ||
June 4, 1966 | Thích Dieu Nữ Tri | – | Buddhist nun. Self-immolated in the same location as Thích Du Dien Dinh in Da Nang. [5] [13] | ||
June 4, 1966 | Name missing | – | Novice Buddhist monk. Self-immolated in Quảng Trị [13] | ||
June 17, 1966 | Woman; name missing | – | [5] | ||
July 12, 1966 | Liangqing | 70 | China | Destruction of the Famen Temple | Buddhist monk [14] |
May 16, 1967 | Nhất Chi Mai | 34 | South Vietnam | Vietnam War | Buddhist nun [5] [15] |
August 18, 1967 | John Copping | 33 | United States | Vietnam War | Navy veteran. [16] |
October 3, 1967 | Thích Nữ Tri | – | South Vietnam | 1967 South Vietnamese presidential election | Buddhist nun [5] [17] |
October 8, 1967 | Woman; name missing | – | |||
October 15, 1967 | Florence Beaumont | 55 | United States | Vietnam War | [18] |
October 22, 1967 | Thích Nữ Hue | – | South Vietnam | 1967 South Vietnamese presidential election | Buddhist nun [5] [17] |
November 1, 1967 | Thích Nữ Thuong | – | |||
November 12, 1967 | Yui Chunoshin | 73 | Japan | Vietnam War | Esperantist [19] [20] [21] |
December 4, 1967 | Erik Thoen | 27 | United States | Zen Buddhist. Self-immolated in Sunnyvale, California. [5] | |
March 19, 1968 | Ronald Brazee | 16 | Student. Died 5 weeks later. [22] | ||
September 8, 1968 | Ryszard Siwiec | 59 | Poland | Poland's participation in Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia | Died 4 days later. [23] |
November 5, 1968 | Vasyl Makukh | 40 | Soviet Union | Soviet rule in Ukraine | Self-immolated on Khreshchatyk, Kyiv's main street, while shouting "Colonialism out of Ukraine!" and "Long live a free Ukraine!" [24] |
January 16, 1969 | Jan Palach | 20 | Czechoslovakia | Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia | Student. Inspired other self-immolations in Soviet satellite states. [25] |
January 20, 1969 | Sándor Bauer | 17 | Hungary | Communist rule in Hungary and Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia | Died 3 Days later [5] [26] |
January 20, 1969 | Josef Hlavatý | 25 | Czechoslovakia | Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia | Blue-collar worker. Self-immolated in Plzeň. Died 5 days later. [5] [27] |
January 22, 1969 | Miroslav Malinka | – | Blue-collar worker. Referenced Jan Palach. Self-immolated in Brno. [5] [27] | ||
January 26, 1969 | Jan Bereš | 16 | Apprentice. Referenced Jan Palach. Self-immolated in Cheb. [27] | ||
February 10, 1969 | Mykola Bereslavsky | 45 | Soviet Union | Soviet rule in Ukraine | [5] |
February 25, 1969 | Jan Zajíc | 19 | Czechoslovakia | Communist rule in Czechoslovakia | Student[ citation needed ] |
April 2, 1969 | Evžen Plocek | 39 | Businessman[ citation needed ] | ||
April 9, 1969 | Eliyahu Rips | 20 | Soviet Union | Survived. Later became professor of mathematics.[ citation needed ] | |
May 30, 1969 | Bruce Mayrock | 20 | United States | Genocide against Biafra in the Nigerian Civil War | Columbia University student. Died several hours later. [28] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 13, 1970 | Márton Moyses | 28 | Romania | Communist rule in Romania | [5] |
April 10, 1970 | Rafael Elizalde Mac-Clure | 62 or 63 | Chile | Climate crisis inaction | Writer, activist and translator who set himself on fire near the Eulogio Sánchez Airport. [29] [30] |
May 6, 1970 | Robert Rex Vice | 27 | United States | Vietnam War and Kent State Shootings | Non-student protester at Wabash College demonstration. [31] Died later in hospital. |
May 10, 1970 | George Winne Jr. | 23 | United States | Vietnam War | Student at the University of California, San Diego. Died the following day. [32] |
June 4, 1970 | Thích Nữ Lien Tap | 24 | South Vietnam | Buddhist nun [5] [17] | |
September 19, 1970 | Kostas Georgakis | 22 | Greece | Military rule in Greece | Student at the University of Genoa [ citation needed ] |
September 19, 1970 | Joseba Elosegi | 54 | Spain | Bombing of Guernica in 1937. Independence of the Basque Country. | Survived [5] |
November 13, 1970 | Jeon Tae-il | 22 | South Korea | Labor conditions and the government's opposition to reform | [5] |
May 1971 | Nguyen Thi Co | – | South Vietnam | Vietnam War | Buddhist nun [5] [17] |
Thích Nữ Tinh Nhuan | – | ||||
August 16, 1971 | Man; name missing | – | Vietnam War veteran [5] | ||
Nguyen Minh Dang | 37 | Vietnam War veteran [5] | |||
October 1971 | Thích Nữ Tinh Cuong | – | Buddhist nun [5] [17] | ||
1972 | Thích Nữ Dien Han | – | Buddhist nun [5] [17] | ||
May 14, 1972 | Romas Kalanta | 19 | Soviet Union | Communist rule in Lithuania | Inspired largest post-war riots in occupied Lithuania and the USSR and 13 other self-immolations |
May 29, 1972 | V. Stonys | 24 | Self-immolated in Varėna. [5] | ||
June 6, 1972 | Huguette Gaulin | 28 | Canada | French Canadian novelist who publicly self-immolated in Montreal while screaming "You have destroyed the beauty of the world!" [33] | |
September 27, 1972 | unidentified male | 37 | Denmark | Protest against European Common Market and his unemployment | Survived with extensive second-degree burns. [34] |
September 30, 1972 | Józef Dolak | 26 or 27 | Poland | Protest against Communist rule in Poland | Probably followed the example of Jan Palach [35] |
October 7, 1972 | Willie B. Phillips | 27 | United States | Racism against African-Americans | Self-immolated at Atlanta parade. Died in hospital. [36] |
1974 | Thích Nữ Du Dieu | – | South Vietnam | Vietnam War | Buddhist nun [5] [17] |
August 15, 1974 | Phan Van Lua | 33 | South Vietnam | Anti-Communism | Vietnam War veteran discharged with wounds self-immolated in front of the National Assembly. Died at scene. [37] |
August 10, 1976 | Antanas Kalinauskas | 19 | Soviet Union | Communist rule in Lithuania | In Soviet Army barracks in Gulbene, Latvia. Died the following day. |
August 22, 1976 | Oskar Brüsewitz | 47 | East Germany | Communist repression of religion in East Germany | Lutheran pastor [38] |
February 10, 1977 | Alain Escoffier | 27 | France | Communism | Member of the Party of New Forces, a neo-fascist political party.[ citation needed ] |
September 1, 1977 | Leopoldo Aragon | Sweden | Protest against Torrijos–Carter Treaties | A Panamanian national self-immolated in front of the U.S. embassy in Stockholm. [39] | |
November 16, 1977 | Hartmut Gründler | 37 | West Germany | Atomic policy[ citation needed ] | |
January 21, 1978 | Oleksa Mykolajovyč Hirnyk | 65 | Soviet Union | Communist rule in Ukraine [35] | Probably followed the example of Jan Palach. |
February 8, 1978 | Erika Ruppert | 24 | West Germany | Political protest | Ruppert and Helmut Kleinknecht wrote a letter a day before their act in which they explained the reasoning behind their decision, and their affiliation with Ananda Marga. The next morning, she and Kleinknecht doused themselves with gasoline and self-immolated at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. [40] [41] |
February 8, 1978 | Helmut Kleinknecht | 28 | Self-immolated along with Erika Ruppert at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin. [40] [41] | ||
May 4, 1978 | Andre Kilchinski | 41 | Israel | Protest against Nazism | Occurred on Holocaust Day. Rescued with slight burns. [42] |
June 14, 1978 | Elizabeth Weniger | 25 | Philippines | Political protest | Swiss-born Elizabeth Weniger self-immolated at Rizal Park in Manila after distributing leaflets explaining her reasons. [43] [44] [45] |
June 23, 1978 | Musa Mamut | 46 | Soviet Union | Discrimination against Crimean Tatars in the Soviet residence permit system, which prohibited nearly all Crimean Tatars who were deported in 1944 from returning to their place of birth | Mamut was born and raised Crimea until the NKVD deported all Crimean Tatars to Central Asia in May 1944. He returned to Crimea in 1975 and was later arrested and charged for not having a residence permit to live there, despite being born in the peninsula; the residence permit system was designed to prevent exiled Crimean Tatars from returning to their homeland. Then police came to arrest him on 23 June 1978 Mamut self-immolated rather than being deported again and died 5 days later. [46] |
September 17, 1978 | Rolf Günther | 41 | East Germany | Probably protest against repression of religion in East Germany, maybe also internal church conflicts | Set himself on fire in front of 300 people after revealing a banner that read "finally wake up!" [47] |
October 3, 1978 | Lynette Phillips | 24 | Switzerland | Social protest | Lynette Phillips had previously planned to self-immolate outside the British Houses of Parliament in London, but upon receiving word of this, British authorities deported her. She changed her plan and decided to self-immolate outside the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She protested against "inhumanity, injustice and irrationality prevalent in our society". She died at the scene. [48] |
December 28, 1978 | Chiao Shaoying | 40 | Taiwan | Nationalism | Taken to hospital in poor condition. [49] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 21, 1980 | Walenty Badylak | 76 | Poland | Katyn massacre | Home Army veteran self-immolated chained to a well in the Main Square, Kraków. [50] [51] |
March 21, 1981 | Per-Axel Arosenius | 60 | Sweden | Taxes[ citation needed ] | |
May 18, 1982 | Mahmut Zengin Ferhat Kurtay Eşref Anyık Necmi Öner | Turkey | Detention conditions in Prison | The four were members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party protesting the detention conditions in the Diyarbakır prison after the coup d'état in 1980. [52] | |
May 26, 1982 | Semra Ertan | 25 | West Germany | Racism towards Turkish workers in Germany | Writer and poet. [53] |
August 10, 1982 | Artin Penik | 61 | Turkey | ASALA attack at Esenboğa International Airport [ citation needed ] | Set himself on fire in Taksim Square. |
March 5, 1983 | Cecil Andrews | 37 | United States | Unemployment | Was listed in serious condition. His self-immolation was filmed by a television crew. [54] |
November 2, 1983 | Sebastián Acevedo | 52 | Chile | Kidnapping of his children by the Chilean police during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet | After 2 days of searching for his children, Acevedo self-immolated in front of the Cathedral of the Most Holy Concepción. [55] |
July 10, 1984 | Ruth Christenson | 23 | United States | Pornography | Survived initially. [56] |
February 2, 1985 | Mehmet Karahüseyinov | 40 | Bulgaria | Treatment of Turks in Bulgaria | Self-immolated after Bulgarian government tried to change his name. Survived heavily wounded, died 5 years later. [57] |
March 27, 1985 | Unidentified man | 50s | South Korea | Protest against government's decision to return Chinese sailors | Survived with minor injuries. [58] |
February 14, 1986 | Orland Payne McCafferty | 58 | United States | Ronald Reagan's policies | Set himself on fire outside the White House. Died a month later. [59] [60] |
February 25, 1986 | Marko Djukic | 63 | Canada | Trial to deport Andrija Artuković | Croatian/Canadian self-immolated on University Ave. in Toronto across from US Consulate. [61] Survived for many years afterwards. |
March 6, 1987 | Pyo Jung-doo | 25 | South Korea | Opposition to government and parliamentary system | Survived with critical injuries after self-immolating outside American embassy in Seoul. [62] |
April 27, 1987 | Unidentified woman | 60 | Romania | Government's refusal to let her travel to West Germany | Self-immolated outside West German embassy in Bucharest. [63] |
August 31, 1987 | Antoine Thurel | 56 | United States | Religious persecution in Haiti | Cab driver from Haiti. Self-immolated in front of Statehouse in Boston. Died at the scene. [64] |
September 20, 1987 | Neusha Farrahi | 31 | United States | Protest against the Khomeini government | Self-immolated at a protest of around 1,000 people against the Iranian government. Died on October 2. [65] [66] |
September 10, 1988 | Mehrdad Imen | 32 | United States | Protest against the executions of political prisoners committed by the Khomeini government as well as human rights abuses in Iran | Los Angeles resident originally from Iran. Flew from LA to NYC. Participated in a protest and self-immolated in front of the UN shortly after protest ended. Died the next day. [67] |
March 2, 1989 | Liviu Cornel Babeș | 47 | Communist rule in Romania | Self-immolated on ski slope. Died 2 hours later. [68] | |
March 2, 1989 | Vytautas Vičiulis | 37 | Communist rule in Lithuania [ citation needed ] | ||
March 24, 1989 | Kailash Pawar | To draw attention to plight of Bhopal gas victims and protest public indifference | Original story published in The Hindu, March 26, 1990. [69] | ||
April 7, 1989 | Cheng Nan-jung | 41 | Taiwan | For freedom of speech and Taiwan independence | |
May 19, 1989 | Chan I-hua | 32 | During funeral procession of Cheng Nan-jung. [70] | ||
May 23, 1989 | Karl Koch | 23 | West Germany | unknown | Controversial whether death by suicide or murder [71] |
October 24, 1989 | Shavkat Yarullin | 40 | Soviet Union | In protest of exile and mistreatment of Crimean Tatars by the government | Self-immolated in front of a government building. Died several hours later. [72] |
December 14, 1989 | Seidamet Balji | In protest of exile and mistreatment of Crimean Tatars by the government | While being forced to leave Yalta he doused himself with gasoline and self-immolated. Survived after being extinguished, but said he would do it again if he had to live in exile for longer. [72] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
March 21, 1990 | Zekiye Alkan | Turkey | Ban of Newroz celebrations | Medical student who self-immolated on Newroz. [73] [74] | |
April 26, 1990 | Stanislovas Žemaitis | 52 | Soviet Union | Communist rule in Lithuania | Protesting Soviet economic blockade of Lithuania. Died the following day in Moscow hospital.[ citation needed ] |
May 9, 1990 | Rimantas Daugintis | 55 | Soviet Union | Communist rule in Lithuania | Lithuanian sculptor self-immolated on Hungarian–Soviet border. Died a few days later. |
June 21, 1990 | unidentified male | 32 | People's Republic of Bulgaria | Alleged election fraud | Initially survived. [75] |
September 19, 1990 | Rajiv Goswami | 19 | India | Reservation in India | Survived [76] |
October 14, 1990 | Thanawut Klingchuea | 20 | Thailand | Government of Chatichai Choonhavan | Ramkhamhaeng University student [77] |
December 9, 1990 | Timothy Brown | 48 | United States | Gulf War | Self-described Vietnam War veteran set himself on fire at an abandoned cannery. [78] |
February 18, 1991 | Gregory Levey | 30 | United States | Gulf War | Took place in Amherst Common, Massachusetts. [79] |
April 29, 1991 | Park Seung-hee | 20 | South Korea | Political situation in South Korea | Self-immolated after student demonstrator Kang Kyung-dae was beaten to death by police. She was buried at the May 18th National Cemetery. [80] [81] |
September 21, 1991 | Giorgi Abesadze | 35 | Georgia | Looming civil war in Georgia | Physician [82] |
March 21, 1992 | Rahşan Demirel | Turkey | Treatment of Kurds by Turkey | She self-immolated on Newroz. [74] | |
April 6, 1993 | Binh Gia Pham | 43 | United States | Persecution of Buddhists in Vietnam | Binh Gia Pham had five friends tape his self-immolation outside Boston. Died at the scene. [83] [84] |
April 29, 1993 | Graham Bamford | 48 | United Kingdom | War in Bosnia and Herzegovina | 'The British army must not be a guard of honour at a mass funeral. Bosnian babies, children, and womenfolk are waiting for the politicians to do what they know they should – give them military protection.' [85] |
January 27, 1994 | Son Ha Hoang | 27 | Germany | Imminent deportation | Originally from Vietnam, he sought asylum in Germany. [40] |
February 21, 1994 | Homa Darabi | 54 | Iran | Legal obligation under the Islamic Criminal Code (Art. 139) for women to wear the headscarf in public [86] | Pediatrician, political activist. Died the following day |
March 21, 1994 | Nilgün Yıldırım and Bedriye Taş | Repression of Kurdish identity and traditions | They immolated themselves on Newroz, an important festivity for the Kurds [74] | ||
March 9, 1995 | unidentified male | United States | "Genocide and human rights violations" in Poland; planned deportation to Poland | Self-immolated in an International Red Cross office. [87] | |
April 25, 1995 | Reinhold Elstner | 75 | Germany | "Slander and demonization" of German soldiers after World War II | Wehrmacht veteran. Died in a Munich hospital 12 hours later. [88] |
September 3, 1995 | Sabine Kratze | 25 | Vietnam | Trial of six Buddhist monks [89] | |
December 15, 1995 | Abdul Raoob | 23 | India | Killing of the Sri Lankan Tamils | Self-immolated himself in Trichy, Tamil Nadu over the Killings of Sri Lankan Tamils committed by the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lanka government and to Protest against India playing the Sri Lanka Cricket team in Chennai. [90] |
October 22, 1996 | Kathy Change | 46 | United States | For directly democratic community-based self-government[ citation needed ] | |
January 7, 1998 | unknown male | 24 | Germany | Imminent deportation | A Kurdish man who set himself on fire in Wessel, Germany. He sought asylum there. [40] |
January 13, 1998 | Alfredo Ormando | 39 | Italy | Catholic Church's condemnation of homosexuality [91] | |
April 27, 1998 | Thupten Ngodup | 60 | India | Political situation in Tibet | Ex-monk. In protest of police interference with unto-death hunger-strike in Delhi. Died 2 days later in hospital after visit by the Dalai Lama. [92] [93] [94] |
February 16, 1999 | Necla Coşkun | 14 | United Kingdom | Arrest of Abdullah Öcalan | Survived [95] [96] |
February 1999 | Zülkuf Yilmaz | Switzerland | Arrest of Abdullah Öcalan | Survived [97] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
January 23, 2001 | various | – | China | See Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident | [98] |
April 2, 2001 | Shahraz Kayani | 48 | Australia | Government refusal to grant entry to his wife and daughters | Pakistani refugee [99] |
December 1, 2001 | Eduardo Miño | 50 | Chile | Pizarreño asbestos disaster | [100] |
November 15, 2002 | Milos Redzepovic | 34 | Germany | Planned deportation of his family to Serbia | Doused himself in gasoline and self-immolated inside the town hall of Syke. Died the following day. [101] |
March 6, 2003 | Zdeněk Adamec | 19 | Czech Republic | Iraq War | Self-immolated in Prague. Died at the scene. [102] [103] |
June 23, 2003 | Neda Hassani | 26 | United Kingdom | Raid on and arrest of members of the People's Mujahedin of Iran | Self-immolated in front of the French embassy in London. Died at the scene. There were at least 4 other self-immolations protesting the same. [104] |
July 21, 2004 | Mordehai (Hamimo) Cohen | 30 | Israel | Rejection of work license | Self-immolated during a City Hall assembly. [105] |
October 5, 2004 | Maggy Mufu Delvaux | 44 | Luxembourg | Protest against institutionalized racism | Self-immolated in a public place [106] Money problems resulting from the Luxembourgish government denying her family the authorisation to open a garage despite meeting all the legal requirements and suing the State for discrimination have driven the woman to desperately plead her case publicly after writing an open letter to the Prime Minister warning him of what she was about to do. However no help was sent to her to prevent her immolation. [107] |
August 17, 2005 | Yelena Businov | 54 | Israel | Protest against the Israeli disengagement from Gaza | [108] |
August 31, 2005 | Baruch Ben Menahem | 21 | [109] | ||
March 28, 2006 | Eleftheria Fourtoulaki | Greece | Treatment of Kurds in Turkey | [110] | |
June 11, 2006 | Pravin Joshi | 30 | India | Screening of Fanaa | Died 9 days later. [111] |
October 31, 2006 | Roland Weisselberg | 73 | Germany | Spread of Islam | Former Lutheran pastor self-immolated in a former monastery in Erfurt. Died the following day. [112] |
November 3, 2006 | Malachi Ritscher | 52 | United States | War in Iraq | Died at the scene. [113] |
November 23, 2006 | Lhakpa Tsering | 23 | India | Political situation in Tibet | Survived [114] |
March 7, 2007 | Uddhav Bhandari | 40 | United Kingdom | Asylum policy | Nepali asylum seeker [115] |
April 1, 2007 | Heo Se-uk | 54 | South Korea | South Korea – United States Free Trade Agreement | [116] |
October 1, 2008 | Ramiro Guillén Tapia | 65 | Mexico | Protest against the dispossession and destruction of lands by the local government in the city of Xalapa | Self-immolated after being informed that the governor had canceled discussions to end the agrarian conflict. [117] |
January 29, 2009 | Kumar Muthukumar | 26 | India | Killing of the Sri Lankan Tamils | Inspired several other self-immolations [118] |
February 12, 2009 | Murugathasan Varnakulasingham | 26 | Switzerland | Killing of the Sri Lankan Tamils | Inspired several other self-immolations [119] |
February 27, 2009 | Tapey | mid-20s | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk, Kirti Monastery, Ngaba. Shot [120] by Chinese police while on fire, and then taken away by them. Current status unknown. [120] |
November 13, 2009 | Tang Fu-zhen | 47 | China | Forced demolition of her home | Died 16 days later. [121] |
December 3, 2009 | Kasoju Srikanth Chary | 24 | India | For statehood of Telangana | Died the following day. [122] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 20, 2010 | Siripur Yadaiah | 19 | India | For statehood of Telangana | Student. Self immolated at the main gate of Osmania University, Hyderabad. Died the next day in hospital. [123] [124] |
July 31, 2010 | Eshan Reddy | 20s | Student. Self-immolated as an offering for a deity for the cause of statehood. [125] | ||
September 10, 2010 | Ye Zhongcheng | 79 | China | Forced demolition of their home | Zhongcheng self-immolated with two family members and died on September 18. [126] |
December 17, 2010 | Tarek el-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi | 26 | Tunisia | Corruption in government | Inspired the Tunisian revolution leading to ouster of President Ben Ali and further revolutions of the Arab Spring. Died January 4, 2011. [127] |
January 16, 2011 | Venugopala Reddy | 20s | India | For statehood of Telangana | MCA student immolated himself near his university auditorium,died on the spot. [128] |
January 16, 2011 | Mohsen Bouterfif | – | Algeria | Unemployment and housing | Inspired by Bouazizi's self-immolation in Tunisia. [129] |
January 16, 2011 | Bhavani | 18 | India | For statehood of Telangana | [130] |
January 17, 2011 | Yacoub Ould Dahoud | 43 | Mauritania | Political situation in Mauritania | [131] |
January 23, 2011 | Unnamed man | 60s | Saudi Arabia | Political situation in Saudi Arabia | [132] |
February 21, 2011 | Mustafa | 40 | India | For statehood of Telangana | [133] |
March 16, 2011 | Rigzin Phuntsog | 21 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk of Kirti Monastery. In Ngaba, Amdo. Beaten by police before they extinguished the flames. Died in hospital. [134] [135] [136] |
June 15, 2011 | Thomas James Ball | 58 | United States | Father's rights and family court injustice | Self immolated on the steps of a family courthouse in New Hampshire. Died on the spot. [137] |
August 15, 2011 | Tsewang Norbu | 29 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk of Nyitso monastery in Kham Tawu. In Tawu. Died soon afterwards. [134] [136] [138] |
August 28, 2011 | Senkodi | 27 | India | Convictions in the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi case | A Tamil woman immolated herself in front of a tahsil office at Kanchipuram to protest death sentences of A. G. Perarivalan, V. Sriharan (alias Murugan), and T. Suthendraraja (alias Santhan). She died the same day. [139] |
September 16, 2011 | Apostolos Polyzonis | 55 | Greece | European sovereign-debt crisis | Self-immolated in front of a bank in Thessaloniki. [140] |
September 23, 2011 | Andrzej Żydek | 49 | Poland | Opposition to the Civic Platform government | Occurred in front of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland. A letter to Donald Tusk was found attached to a bench in the park. [141] [142] |
September 26, 2011 | Lobsang Kelsang | 18 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba alongside Lobsang Kunchok. Survived but was imprisoned for 6 years [143] [144] |
September 26, 2011 | Lobsang Kunchok | 18 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba alongside Lobsang Kelsang. Survived with leg amputated and imprisoned for 6 years. [143] [144] | ||
October 3, 2011 | Kelsang Wangchuk | 17 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba. Status unknown. [143] [144] | ||
October 7, 2011 | Khaying | 18 | Former monk turned nomad. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba alongside Choephel. Died the next day. [143] [144] | ||
October 7, 2011 | Choephel | 19 | Former monk turned nomad. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba alongside Khaying. Died 4 days later. [143] [144] | ||
October 15, 2011 | Norbu Dramdul | 19 | Former monk turned Nomad. Self-immolated on the streets of Ngaba. Died on January 5, 2012. [143] | ||
October 17, 2011 | Tenzin Wangmo | 20 | Nun from Mame Dechen Chokorling Nunnery in Ngaba. Self-immolated at the intersection of Sancta bridge and the nunnery. Died 10 minutes after at the scene. [143] [144] | ||
October 25, 2011 | Dawa Tsering | 38 | Monk from Kandze Monastery. Self-immolated at the monastery. Status unknown but presumed dead. [144] [145] | ||
November 3, 2011 | Palden Choetso | 35 | Nun from Geden Choeling Nunnery in Tawu. Self-immolated on the same exact spot Tsewang Norbu stood on 3 months prior. Whilst burning, she stood completely still whilst praying before she died. [146] [144] | ||
November 4, 2011 | Sherab Tsedor | 25 | Self-immolated in front of Chinese embassy in New Delhi, India. Survived [147] | ||
November 10, 2011 | Bhutuk | 40 | Nepal | Survived. [148] | |
December 1, 2011 | Tenzin Phuntsok | 46 | Tibet | Former monk turned farmer from Chamdo. Self-immolated in Chamdo. Died 5 days later. [149] | |
January 6, 2012 | Tennyi | 20 | Former monk turned nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated at a hotel courtyard in Ngaba alongside Tsultrim. Died at the scene [150] | ||
January 6, 2012 | Tsultrim | 20 | Former monk turned nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated at a hotel courtyard in Ngaba alongside Tennyi. Died the day after [150] | ||
January 8, 2012 | Lama Sopa | 42 | Rinpoche from Darlag. Self-immolated at a hotel courtyard in Darlag. Died at the scene. [151] | ||
January 14, 2012 | Lobsang Jamyang | 21 | Former monk turned nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated in the middle of Ngaba. Died shortly after. [152] | ||
February 8, 2012 | Rigzin Dorjee | 19 | Former monk turned nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated near a school in Ngaba. Died at the scene. [153] | ||
February 9, 2012 | Sonam Rabyang | 42 | Monk from Lab Monastery in Tridu. Self-immolated on the main road of Tridu. Survived but both legs amputated. [154] | ||
February 10, 2012 | Tenzin Choedron | 18 | Nun from Mame Dechen Chokorling nunnery in Ngaba. Self-immolated near a temple. Died at the scene. [155] | ||
February 13, 2012 | Lobsang Gyatso | 19 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba county. Survived but was imprisoned for 5 years. [156] | ||
February 17, 2012 | Damchoe Sangpo | 38 | Monk from Bongthak Monastery. Self-immolated at the monastery. Died at the scene. [157] | ||
February 19, 2012 | Nangdrol | 18 | Student from Dzamthang. Self-immolated in Dzamthang county. Died at the scene. [158] | ||
March 3, 2012 | Tsering Kyi | 20 | Student and nomad from Nyima. Self-immolated at a market in Nyima. Whilst Chinese merchants threw stones at her in disgust, she held her fist up representing unity and freedom. Died at the scene. [159] | ||
March 4, 2012 | Rinchen Kyi | 32 | Mother of 4 and herder from Ngaba. Self-immolated near the Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Died at the scene. [160] | ||
March 5, 2012 | Dorjee | 18 | Nomad from Chara. Self-immolated near a Chinese office in Chara. Died at the scene. [161] | ||
March 10, 2012 | Gepey | 18 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated near a military camp in Ngaba. Died at the scene. [162] | ||
March 14, 2012 | Jamyang Palden | 34 | Monk from Rongpo Monastery in Rebkong. Self-immolated outside the Rongpo Monastery and lit himself on fire. Died on September 29. [163] [160] | ||
March 16, 2012 | Lobsang Tsultrum | 20 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Died 3 days after. Cousin of Norbu Damdrul who self-immolated on October 15, 2011. [160] | ||
March 17, 2012 | Sonam Thargyal (Dargye, Dhargay) | 44 | Farmer in Rebkong, Amdo. Died on the spot. [164] [165] [160] | ||
March 24, 2012 | L Bhoja Naik | 21 | India | For statehood of Telangana | MBA student self-immolated in front of his college. Died on the spot. [166] |
March 26, 2012 | Jamphel Yeshi | 27 | Political situation in Tibet | Layperson in Delhi. Died 2 days later in hospital. [167] [168] [160] | |
March 26, 2012 | Rajmouli | 40 | For statehood of Telangana | [169] [170] | |
March 26, 2012 | B.R. Goud | n/a | [169] | ||
March 27, 2012 | Pallavi | 17 | Died later in hospital. [171] | ||
March 27, 2012 | Kalakanchi Ilaiah | 30 | Scrap dealer. [172] | ||
March 28, 2012 | Lobsang Sherab | 20 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk of Kirti Monastery. [173] In Ngaba, Amdo. Died on the spot. [174] [175] [160] |
March 28, 2012 | K Uppalaiah | 30 | India | For statehood of Telangana | [176] |
March 28, 2012 | Sripuram Srikanth | 23 | Died on March 30 at the Osmania General Hospital. [177] | ||
March 30, 2012 | Tenpa Dhargyal (Darjey) | 22 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk of Tsodun monastery, Barkham, Amdo. Forcibly removed to hospital by Chinese security forces. Current status unknown. [178] [179] |
March 30, 2012 | Chimey Palden (Chime) | 21 | Monk of Tsodun monastery, Barkham, Amdo. Forcibly removed to hospital by Chinese security forces. [179] [180] Died later that day around midnight. [181] | ||
March 30, 2012 | Shyamapuri Shankar | 24 | India | For statehood of Telangana | [182] |
March 30, 2012 | Bandavath Suresh | 25 | Suffered 50% burns. [183] | ||
April 6, 2012 | Tulku Athup | 47 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Rinpoche at his monastery. Self-immolated with his niece Atse at his home. Died at the scene. [184] |
April 6, 2012 | Atse | 23 | Nun from Seda Larung Wuming Tibetan Buddhist Institute in Tawu. Self-immolated with her uncle in Tawu at his home. Died at the scene [184] | ||
April 19, 2012 | Sonam | 20's | Student from Barma. Self-immolated in Barma with his cousin Choepak Kyab. Died at the scene. [185] | ||
April 19, 2012 | Choepak Kyab | 20's | Student from Barma. Self-immolated in Barma with his cousin Sonam. Died at the scene. [185] | ||
May 27, 2012 | Dorjee Tseten | 19 | Originally from Bora but was a waiter in Lhasa. Self-immolated in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa alongside Dhargye. Died at the scene. [186] | ||
May 27, 2012 | Dhargye | 25 | Originally from Ngaba but was a waiter in Lhasa. Self-immolated in front of the Potala palace in Lhasa alongside Dorjee Tseten. Died 41 days after the protest. [186] | ||
May 30, 2012 | Rikyo | 33 | Mother of 2 and nomad. Self-immolated near the Jonang Monastery in Dzamthang. Died at the scene. [187] | ||
June 15, 2012 | Tamding Thar | 50's | Nomad from Chentsa. Self-immolated near a police station in Chentsa. Died at the scene. [188] | ||
June 20, 2012 | Tenzin Khedup | 24 | Former monk turned nomad from Dzatoe. On a street in Dzatoe, Tenzin and Ngawang Norphel both waved the Tibetan flag and self-immolated. Died at the scene. [189] [190] | ||
June 20, 2012 | Ngawang Norphel | 22 | Nomad and carpenter from Dzatoe. On a street in Dzatoe, Ngawang and Tenzin Khedup both waved the Tibetan flag and self-immolated. Died 40 days after his protest. [189] [190] | ||
June 27, 2012 | Dickyi Choezom | 40's | Businesswoman and mother of 2 from Yulshul. Self-immolated at the Dhondupling monastery. Last reported to be hospitalized. [191] | ||
July 7, 2012 | Tsewang Dorjee | 22 | Nomad and vendor from Damshung. Self-immolated at a market in Damshung. Died later that night. [192] | ||
July 14, 2012 | Moshe Silman | 57 | Israel | Social justice march in Tel Aviv | Social justice activist, suffered 90% burns. [193] Died July 20 in hospital. [194] |
July 16, 2012 | Zion Vaknin [195] | 46 | Social injustice protest | At Beersheba's city hall, in protest of debts. [196] | |
July 17, 2012 | Lobsang Lozin | 18 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Gedhun Tashi Choeling Monastery in Barkham. Self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building in front of the monastery. Reported to walk 100 steps before he died from his burns. [197] |
July 18, 2012 | Valentina Gerasimovna | 57 | Russia | A woman attempted to self-immolate at the public reception center of the ruling United Russia party in Novosibirsk. Earlier, she addressed the party's public reception center for legal advice as an apartment buyer. [198] [199] Died in a hospital. [200] | |
July 20, 2012 | Akiva Mafi | 45 | Israel | Social injustice protest | Akiva Mafi [201] (45) Disabled IDF veteran sets himself on fire in Yehud, on behalf of wounded veterans. [202] [203] Died August 1, 2012. [204] New agency established to prevent more cases. |
July 30, 2012 | Đặng Thị Kim Liêng | 64 | Vietnam | Against 2011 crackdown on Vietnamese youth activists [205] | Tạ Phong Tần's mother. Self-immolated in the early morning. Died en route to the hospital. [206] |
August 6, 2012 | Lobsang Tsultrim | 21 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Kirti Monastery. Self-immolated on a street in Ngaba that is known as "Hero Street". Died later that night. [207] |
August 7, 2012 | Dolkar Kyi | 26 | Farmer and mother of 2. Self-immolated near the Tsoe Gaden Choeling Monastery in Kanlho. Died a few hours later. [208] | ||
August 10, 2012 | Choepa | 24 | Nomad from Meruma. Self-immolated on a road in Meruma. Died on the way to the hospital. [144] [209] | ||
August 13, 2012 | Tashi | 21 | Former monk turned nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba with Lungtok. Died a few hours later. [144] [210] | ||
August 13, 2012 | Lungtok | 20 | Monk from Kirti Monastery. Self-immolated in Ngaba on a road known as "Hero Street" with Tashi. Died a few hours later. [144] [210] | ||
August 27, 2012 | Lobsang Kelsang | 18 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immoalted near Kirti Monastery in Ngaba with Damchoe. Died later that night. [144] [211] | ||
August 27, 2012 | Dhamchoe | 17 | Former monk turned Nomad in Ngaba. Younger brother of Tenzin Choedron who self-immolated on February 10, 2012. Self-immoalted near Kirti Monastery in Ngaba with Lobsang Kelsang. Died later that night. [144] [211] | ||
September 13, 2012 | Passang Lhamo | 62 | China | Retired government officer. Self-immolated in Beijing, China in front of the Ministry of housing and Urban-rural development. Status unknown. [144] [212] | |
September 29, 2012 | Yungdrung | 29 | Tibet | Farmer from Dzatoe. Self-immolated nera a Chinese government building in Dzatoe. Died the next day. [144] [213] | |
October 4, 2012 | Gudrub | 43 | Writer from Nangchu. Gone to exile in 2005 where he studied in Dharmsala where he returned to Tibet soon after. Known as "Youth of the Snow Realm" for his safety as his writings were about Tibets freedom. Self-immolated at a market in Nangchu. Died at the scene. [214] | ||
October 6, 2012 | Sangay Gyatso | 26 | Nomad from Tsoe. Self-immolated near Dokar Monastery. Died at the scene. [215] | ||
October 13, 2012 | Tamdrin Dorje | 50's | Nomad and grandfather of a rinpoche. Self-immolated near the Tsoe Monastery. Died at the scene. [216] | ||
October 20, 2012 | Lhamo Kyab | 27 | Farmer and nomad from Bora. Self-immolated near Bora temple. Died at the scene. Short film "Sons of Tibet" is based upon his life and his protest. [217] | ||
October 23, 2012 | Dhondup | 60's | Nomad from Labrang. Self-immolated at Labrang Monastery. Died at the scene. [218] | ||
October 23, 2012 | Dorjee Rinchen | 58 | Farmer and bread vendor from Labrang. Self-immolated near a police station in Labrang. Died a few hours after. [219] | ||
October 25, 2012 | Tsepo | 20 | Herder from Driru. Self-immolated near a Chinese government building with his cousin Tenzin. Status unknown. [220] | ||
October 25, 2012 | Tenzin | 25 | Herder from Driru. Self-immolated near a Chinese government building with his cousin Tsepo. Status unknown. [220] | ||
October 26, 2012 | Lhamo Tseten | 24 | Farmer and nomad from Sangchu. Self-immolated near a court in Sangchu. Died at the scene. [221] | ||
October 26, 2012 | Thubwang Gyab | 23 | Nomad and father of 2 from Sangchu. Self-immolated near a bus stop in Sangchu. Died at the scene. [222] | ||
November 4, 2012 | Dorjee Lhundrup | 25 | Thangka artist and father of 2 from Rebkong. Self-immolated near Rongwo monastery. Died at the scene. [223] | ||
November 7, 2012 | Dorjee | 15 | Monk from Ngoshul Monastery. Self-immolated in Ngaba with Samdup and Dorjee Kyab. Died at the scene. [224] | ||
November 7, 2012 | Samdup | 16 | Monk from Ngoshul Monastery. Self-immolated in Ngaba with Dorjee and Dorjee Kyab. Status unknown. [224] | ||
November 7, 2012 | Dorjee Kyab | 16 | Monk from Ngoshul Monastery. Self-immolated in Ngaba with Dorjee and Samdup. Status unknown. [224] | ||
November 7, 2012 | Tamding Tso | 23 | Nomad and mother of 1 from Rebkong. Self-immolated in Rebkong. Died at the scene [224] | ||
November 7, 2012 | Tsegyal | 27 | Nomad and father of 2. Self-immolated near the Bankar village. Died 11 days after as Chinese authorities had arrested him for his protest and refused to give him medical treatment. [224] | ||
November 8, 2012 | Kalsang Jinpa | 18 | Former monk turned Nomad from Rebkong. Self-immolated near the Rongwo Monastery. Died at the scene. [225] | ||
November 10, 2012 | Gonpo Tsering | 19 | Nomad from Tsoe. Self-immolated near the Lushoe Village in Tsoe. Died 2 hours after protest. [226] | ||
November 12, 2012 | Nyingkar Tashi | 24 | Nomad from Rebkong. Self-immolated in Rebkong. Died at the scene. [227] | ||
November 12, 2012 | Nyingchak Bum | 18 | Nomad from Rebkong. Self-immolated in the middle of Rebkong. Died at the scene. [227] | ||
November 15, 2012 | Khabum Gyal | 18 | Farmer and nomad from Rebkong. Self-immolated on a road known as Rongwo. Died at the scene. [228] | ||
November 15, 2012 | Tenzin Dolma | 23 | Farmer from Rebkong. Self-immolated at a temple in Rebkong. Died at the scene. [228] | ||
November 16, 2012 | David Alain | 38 | France | Buddhist monk from England. | |
November 17, 2012 | Sangdhak Tsering | 24 | Tibet | Farmer and nomad from Tsekhog. Self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building. Died at the scene [229] | |
November 17, 2012 | Chagmo Kyi | 27 | Mother of 2 and taxi driver. Self-immolated in front of an office building in Rebkong. Died at the scene. [229] | ||
November 19, 2012 | Wangchen Norbu | 25 | Farmer from Kangtsa. Self-immolated at the Kangtsa Gaden Choephelling Monastery. Died at the scene. [230] | ||
November 20, 2012 | Tsering Dhondup | 34 | Farmer, nomad, and father of 3 from Labrang. Self-immolated in front of a gold mine in Labrang. Died at the scene. [231] | ||
November 22, 2012 | Lubum Tsering | 18 | Nomad from Rebkong. Self-immolated at a popular street in Rebkong. Died at the scene. [232] | ||
November 22, 2012 | Tamdrin Kyab | 23 | Former monk turned nomad from Kanlho. Self-immolated near the Luchu river. Died at the scene. [233] | ||
November 23, 2012 | Tamdrin Dorjee | 29 | Herder from Tsekhog. Self-immolated near a Chinese government building in Tsekhog. Died at the scene. [234] | ||
November 25, 2012 | Sangay Dolma | 17 | Nun from Gonshul Nunnery in Tsekhog. Self-immolated near a Chinese government building in Tsekhog. Died at the scene. | ||
November 26, 2012 | Wangyal | 18 | Student from Sertha. Self-immolated near a golden horse statue in the center of Sertha. [235] | ||
November 26, 2012 | Kunchok Tsering | 18 | Nomad from Labrang. Self-immolated in front of a gold mine in Labrang. Died at the scene [235] | ||
November 26, 2012 | Gonpo Tsering | 24 | Nomad and father of 3 from Luchu. Self-immolated at the Ala Deu-go monastery in Luchu. Died at the scene. [235] | ||
November 27, 2012 | Kalsang Kyab | 24 | Nomad from Dzoge. Self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building. Died at the scene. [236] | ||
November 27, 2012 | Sangay Tashi | 18 | Nomad from Sangkhog. Self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building in Sangkhog. Died at the scene. [237] | ||
November 28, 2012 | Wande Khar | 21 | Nomad from Tsoe. Self-immolated in Tsoe county. Died at the scene. [238] | ||
November 29, 2012 | Tsering Namgyal | 31 | Nomad, farmer, and father of 2 from Luchu. Self-immolated in front of a Chinese government building in Luchu. Died at the scene. [238] | ||
November 30, 2012 | Kunchok Kyab | 29 | Nomad and father of 2 from Ngaba. Self-immolated at a gas station in Ngaba. Died at the scene. [239] | ||
December 2, 2012 | Sangdag Kyab | 17 | Nomad and father of 1 from Bora. Self-immolated at Bora Temple. Survived with both legs amputated and imprisoned for 2 years. [144] [240] | ||
December 3, 2012 | Lobsang Gedhun | 29 | Monk from Penag Monastery in Pema. Self-immolated on the streets of Pema and reported to have walked 300 steps before passing away from the burns. [241] | ||
December 8, 2012 | Pema Dorjee | 23 | Nomad from Luchu. Self-immolated at Shitsang Monastery. Died at the scene. [242] | ||
December 8, 2012 | Kunchok Phelgye | 24 | Monk from Sumdo Monastery in Dzoege. Self-immolated at the monastery. Died at the scene. [242] | ||
December 9, 2012 | Wangchen Kyi | 17 | Student from Tsekhong. Self-immolated at her village in Tsekhong. Died at the scene. [243] | ||
January 12, 2013 | Tsering Tashi | 22 | Nomad from Amchok. Self-immolated in Amchok town. Died at the scene. [244] [245] | ||
January 18, 2013 | Dupchok | 28 | Nomad from Ngaba. Self-immolated near a police station. Died at the scene. [246] | ||
January 22, 2013 | Kunchok Kyab | 26 | Farmer and nomad from Bora. Self-immolated near the Bora Monastery. Died at the scene. [247] | ||
February 3, 2013 | Lobsang Namgyal | 37 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Dzoge. Died at the scene. [248] | ||
February 13, 2013 | Drukpa Khar | 26 | Nomad and father of 3 from Amchok. Self-immolated in Amchok. Died at the scene. [249] | ||
February 13, 2013 | Drupchen Tsering | 25 | Nepal | Rinpoche who arrived a month prior in Kathmandu. Self-immolated at the Boudhanath Stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal. Died later that day. [250] | |
February 17, 2013 | Namlha Tsering | 49 | Tibet | Farmer and nomad from Labrang. Sat on a busy street in Labrang where he lit himself on fire. Died at the scene of his protest. [251] | |
February 18, 2013 | Trayan Marechkov | 26 | Bulgaria | Part of the 2013 Bulgarian protests | Died on the spot, at a central crossroads, in front of the central office of a private bank in Veliko Tarnovo. [252] [253] |
February 19, 2012 | Rinchen | 17 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Student from Dzoge. Self-immolated at Dzoge with Sonam Dhargyal. Died at the scene. [254] |
February 19, 2013 | Sonam Dhargyal | 18 | Student from Dzoge. Self-immolated at Dzoge with Rinchen. Died at the scene. [254] | ||
February 20, 2013 | Plamen Goranov | 36 | Bulgaria | Part of the 2013 Bulgarian protests against the Borisov cabinet | Protested corruption and monopolies, [255] and demanded the resignation of Varna's mayor Kiril Yordanov and the Municipal Council. [256] Mountain climber and photographer. Set himself alight in front of the Varna municipality. Died 11 days later in hospital. [257] [258] |
February 24, 2013 | Phagmo Dhondup | 24 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | farmer from Tsapon. Self-immolated at the Chachung Monastery in Tsapon. Died a few hours later. [259] |
February 24, 2013 | Tsesung Kyab | 20s | Farmer and nomad from Luchu. Self-immolated at the Shistang Monastery. Died at the scene of his protest. His cousin Pema Dorjee self-immolated 2 months prior on December 8, 2012 at the same monastery. [260] [261] | ||
February 25, 2013 | Sangdag | unknown | Monk from Diphu Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated on a road in Ngaba. Status unknown. [262] | ||
February 26, 2013 | Ventzislav Vasilev | 53 | Bulgaria | Part of the 2013 Bulgarian protests | Father of five. [263] Set himself on fire in Radnevo. Died in hospital two weeks later. |
March 13, 2013 | Kunchok Wangmo | 30's | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Housewife and mother of 1 from Dzoge. Self-immolated in Dzoge. Died at the scene. [264] |
March 13, 2013 | Dimitar Dimitrov | 51 | Bulgaria | Part of the 2013 Bulgarian protests | Set himself on fire in front of the Presidential Palace in Sofia. Hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. [265] [266] |
March 16, 2013 | Lobsang Thogmey | 28 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Kirti Monastery. Self-immolated at the monastery. Died after being taken to hospital. [267] |
March 20, 2013 | Todor Yovchev | 40 | Bulgaria | Part of the 2013 Bulgarian protests | Died on March 22 [268] |
March 24, 2013 | Kalkyi | 30 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nomad and mother of 4 from Dzamthang. Self-immolated at the Jonang Monastery. Died at the scene [269] |
March 25, 2013 | Lhamo Kyab | 43 | Forest keeper from Sangchu. Gathered a pile of logs, poured kerosene on the pile and himself. Proceeded to light the pile alight and then placed himself on top. Died at the scene [270] | ||
March 26, 2013 | Kunchok Tenzin | 28 | Monk from Mokri Monastery in Luchu. Self-immolated at the monastery. Died at scene. [271] | ||
April 16, 2013 | Jugtso | 20 | Mother of 1 from Dzamthang. Self-immolated near the Jonang Monastery in Dzamthang. Died at the scene. [272] | ||
April 24, 2013 | Lobsang Dawa | 20 | Monk from Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Dzorge county. Self-immolated alongside Kunchok Woeser at the monastery. Died at the scene. [273] | ||
April 24, 2013 | Kunchok Woeser | 23 | Monk from Taktsang Lhamo Kirti Monastery in Dzorge county. Self-immolated alongside Lobsang Dawa at the monastery. Died at the scene. [273] | ||
May 27, 2013 | Tenzin Sherab | 30 | Nomad from Yushu. Self-immolated near the Gyaring area of Yushu. Died at the scene. [274] | ||
May 24, 2013 | Bowatte Indarathana | 30 | Sri Lanka | Against the slaughtering of cattle and alleged conversion of Buddhists to minority religions in Sri Lanka [275] | |
June 11, 2013 | Wangchen Dolma | 31 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nun from Yushu. Self-immolated outside Nyatso monastery in Yushu. Died on June 14, 2013. [276] |
June 12, 2013 | Andrzej Filipiak | 56 | Poland | Unemployed receiving no help from the state | Occurred across the street from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland [277] [278] [279] |
July 20, 2013 | Kunchok Sonam | 18 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Thangkor Sogtsang Monatery in Dzoge. Self-immolated at his monastery. Died at the scene. [280] |
August 6, 2013 | Karma Ngedon Gyatso | 38 | Nepal | Monk from Yangpachen Monastery in Damshung, Tibet until Chinese authorities expelled him due to him being disabled. Arrived in Nepal in 2011. Self-immolated in Kathmandu at the Boudhanath Stupa. Died an hour after. [281] | |
September 28, 2013 | Shichung | 41 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Farmer, tailor, and father of 2 from Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Died at the scene [282] |
November 11, 2013 | Tsering Gyal | 20 | Monk from Akyong Monastery in Pema. Self-immolated in Pema county where he ran 10-12 yards towards a government building. Died later that day. [283] | ||
December 3, 2013 | Kunchok Tseten | 30 | Nomad and father of 2 from Meruma in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba, died at the scene. [284] | ||
December 19, 2013 | Tsultrim Gyatso | 44 | Monk from Amchok Monastery. Set himself on fire in Amchok, died at the scene [285] | ||
February 5, 2014 | Phagmo Samdrup | 27 | Father of 2 and tantric practitioner from Tsekhog. Self-immolated near a school. Died a day after. [286] | ||
February 13, 2014 | Lobsang Dorjee | 25 | Car wash owner from Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Died 2 days later. [287] | ||
March 16, 2014 | Jigme Tenzin | 29 | Monk from Sonag Monastery in Rebkong. Self-immolated outside Sonag Monastery, died at the scene. [288] | ||
March 16, 2014 | Lobsang Palden | 23 | Monk from Kirti Monastery in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Died 5 days after. [288] | ||
March 29, 2014 | Dolma | 29 | Nun from Kardze. Set herself on fire near Ba Choede Monastery in Kardze. Status unknown. [289] | ||
April 15, 2014 | Thinley Namgyal | 32 | Nomad and farmer. Set himself on fire in Kardze. Died at the scene. [290] | ||
May 23, 2014 | Le Thi Tuyet Mai | 67 | Vietnam | Chinese deployment of a giant oil rig in Vietnam. | Deputy head of executive committee of the Buddhist Youth movement in Ho Chi Minh City. Self-immolated at 5:30 am, died at the scene. Left banners saying "The Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam will survive side by side with the Vietnamese people! All together against Chinese invasion! I offer my body as a torch to light the path of all patriots! Support the Declaration of UBCV Patriarch Thich Quang Do to oppose China's invasion of Vietnamese waters and lands." [291] |
June 20, 2014 | Thu Hoang | 71 | United States | In apparent response to the Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff | Apparent protest by a Vietnamese man of a Chinese state-owned oil rig being placed into waters contested by Vietnam in the South China Sea [292] |
June 23, 2014 | Charles R. Moore | 79 | Social injustice [293] | Set himself alight in a strip mall parking lot, died upon arrival at hospital. | |
September 16, 2014 | Kunchok | 42 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Set self on fire in front of a police station. Believed to have died shortly after protest. [294] |
September 17, 2014 | Lhamo Tashi | 22 | Student from Amchok. Previously involved in the 2008 Tibetan unrest. set himself on fire in Tsoe City. Died at the scene [295] | ||
December 16, 2014 | Sangye Khar | 33 | Nomad and father of 2. Set himself on fire near a police station and died at the scene after walking a few steps while on fire. [296] | ||
December 22, 2014 | Tsepey | 19 | Nomad from Meruma. Set herself on fire near a market in Ngaba. Died at the scene. [297] | ||
December 23, 2014 | Kalsang Yeshi | 37 | Monk from Nyitso Monastery in Tawu. Set himself on fire near his monastery and a police station. Died at the scene. Left a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama with the caption "The Six Million Tibetans are waiting for you." [298] | ||
March 5, 2015 | Norchuk | 47 | Nomad and mother of 3. Set herself on fire at her village. Died at the scene [299] | ||
March 14, 2015 | Younes Asakere | 34 | Iran | Discrimination of Ahwazi Arabs | Self-immolated after local authorities confiscated his vendor stall in Khorramshahr. Died on March 22. [300] Inspired a mass protest which resulted in arrests of some 1,000 people and further self-immolations. [301] |
April 8, 2015 | Yeshi Khandro | 47 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nun in Kardze. Set herself on fire near a police station calling for the freedom in Tibet and the long life and return of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Tibet. Died shortly afterwards. [302] |
April 15, 2015 | Neykyab | 45 | Father of 7 from Ngaba. Set himself on fire at his home and died at the scene. His brother in law Dhargye set himself on fire on May 27, 2012. [303] | ||
May 20, 2015 | Tenzin Gyatso | 35 | Father of 4 from Tawu. Self-immolated in front of a government building, died shortly after. [304] | ||
May 27, 2015 | Sangye Tso | 36 | Business owner and mother of 2. Set herself on fire in front of a government office in Tsoe. died at the scene. left a note saying "Long Live His Holiness the Dalai Lama, where is the panchen lama, and freedom for Tibetans! [305] | ||
July 9, 2015 | Sonam Topgyal | 26 | monk from Nangchen county. Came to Kyegydo and set himself on fire in Gesar square. Died the following day. Left behind a note calling for the freedom of Tibet [306] | ||
August 12, 2015 | Choi Yeon-yeol | 80 | South Korea | Japanese colonization of Korea and military conduct during World War II [307] | Set himself on fire in a flower bed near the Japanese embassy in Seoul during an anti-Japan protest by "comfort women" (survivors of World War II Japanese military brothels). Injuries sustained were not life-threatening. Condition Pending. [308] |
August 27, 2015 | Tashi Kyi | 55 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Mother of 5. Self-immolated near her house in Sangchu and died at the scene. Her nephew Sangay Tashi self-immolated on November 27, 2012. [309] |
September 17, 2015 | Shurmo | 26 | Self-immolated at a bus stop. Protest was hidden for 5 years by the Chinese government. [310] | ||
October 18, 2015 | Khodayar Amini | 30 | Australia | Australian refugee policy | Self-immolated in Melbourne during a video call to his advocates. [311] |
October 24, 2015 | Erlan Bektibaev | 20 | Kazakhstan | Social injustice | Doused himself with gasoline and set himself on fire on October 24 in front of the Taraz headquarters of the ruling party Nur Otan (now since 2022 Amanat) in Taraz. Bektibayev was rushed to hospital, but later died of his burns. [312] |
November 13, 2015 | S. Erdene | Mongolia | Protest of coal mine being sold to China as well as employees being laid off by the government | Coal mine union leader. Called for a press conference where he doused himself with an accelerant and proceeded to set himself on fire. Suffered burns on 40% of his body. [313] | |
February 29, 2016 | Dorjee Tsering | 16 | India | Political situation in Tibet | Died 3 days later in a New Delhi hospital. American presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held up his photograph while speaking to a Tibetan advocacy group. [314] |
February 29, 2016 | Kalsang Wangdu | 18 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | monk in Kardze. Self-immolated calling for Tibet's independence. Died on the way to the hospital. [315] |
March 19, 2016 | Charles Ingram | 51 | United States | Corruption at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs | Military veteran walked nine miles to a military veteran hospital before self-immolated in the hospital's parking lot. [316] |
March 23, 2016 | Sonam Tso | 50s | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Mother of 5. Self-immolated at Sera Monastery. Died at the scene. [317] |
April 27, 2016 | Omid Masoumali | 23 | Nauru | Australian refugee policy | Iranian refugee self-immolated at an Australian refugee detention camp during a visit to the camp by representatives of a UNHCR fundraising arm (Australia for UNHCR) who told the refugees to expect to remain on Nauru for "another ten years". [318] After more than 24 hours without adequate medical attention he was airlifted by private contractor to Brisbane, Australia where he died on 29 April 2016 from his burns. [319] |
May 2, 2016 | Hodan Yasi | 21 | In an Australian refugee detention camp. Woman from Somalia (variously referred to as Hadon/Hodan and Yasin/Yasi) was airlifted from Nauru to Brisbane [320] but her condition as at late May 2016 is shrouded in secrecy. It seems she may still be alive, since her death would have to be reported under Queensland Law and an inquest into her death held as she would be deemed to be a "Death in Custody" had she died.[ citation needed ] | ||
December 8, 2016 | Tashi Rabten | 33 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nomad and father of 3. Self-immolated in Machu, died at the scene after taking a few steps while on fire. His younger cousin Tsering Kyi also self-immolated on March 3, 2012. [321] |
February 11, 2017 | Unknown man | unknown | Sudan | Shouted "I am Sudanese and Bashir is a dictator!" before setting himself on fire. Reported to survive [322] | |
March 18, 2017 | Pema Gyaltsen | 24 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Farmer from Nyarong. Shouted that Tibet had no freedom and for His Holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet while on fire. Status unknown [323] |
April 15, 2017 | Wangchuk Tseten | 30 | Layman and father of 3. Self-immolated in Kardze. Status unknown but likely deceased [323] | ||
May 2, 2017 | Chakdor Kyab | 16 | Farmer and student from Bora. Self-immolated on Bora monastery shouting "Tibet wants freedom! Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama come back to Tibet! Victory to the Gods!" Status unknown [324] | ||
May 18, 2017 | Jamyang Losal | 24 | Monk from Chentsa. Self-immolated near a concert. Died soon afterwards. [325] | ||
May 19, 2017 | Unknown | 54 | Germany | Islamization of Germany | Died in hospital. Police said the man had scrawled slogans on his car along the lines of "Never again war on German soil" and "Amri is only the tip of the iceberg" — a reference to Anis Amri, the Tunisian who attacked a Christmas market in Berlin and whom authorities had previously been unable to deport. [326] |
July 15, 2017 | Tenzin Choeying | 20 | India | Political situation in Tibet | Suffered 50% burns. Died nine days later from his injuries. [327] |
July 29, 2017 | Pasang Dhondup | 49 | Died in Dharamshala [328] | ||
September 21, 2017 | Zdenek Hanzlik | 60 | New Zealand | Family Court Injustices | Zdenek "Sid" Hanzlik self-immolated outside the New Zealand Parliament Buildings protesting injustices in the Family Court, where he was engaged in an ongoing legal battle relating to access to his children. He was taken to Wellington Hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. [329] |
October 19, 2017 | Piotr Szczęsny | 54 | Poland | Rule of Law and Justice political party | Leaflets [330] [331] were strewn around him on the ground outside of the Palace of Culture and Science, and a speaker was broadcasting a song by a 1990s Polish rock band titled "I love freedom". [332] [333] [334] |
November 26, 2017 | Tenga | 63 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Respected monk from Kardze. Shouted "We want freedom in Tibet!" before self-immolating. Died shortly after. His picture was shown by Hollywood actor Richard Gere during a conference [335] |
December 23, 2017 | Konpe | 30 | Former monk turned nomad. Self-immolated in Ngaba and died the following day. [336] | ||
January 15, 2018 | Dmitry Rudov | 39 | Russia | Corruption of government | After being sacked from Gazprom's subsidiary and unsuccessfully appealing to President Putin, he set himself on fire in front of Ishimbay's City Hall in Bashkortostan. Died in hospital the next day. [337] |
March 7, 2018 | Tsekho Tugchak | 44 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nomad in Ngaba. 2 brothers were tortured and killed by the Chinese police for participating in the 2008 Tibetan unrest. Tsekho set himself on fire after shouting slogans and died at the scene. [338] |
April 14, 2018 | David Buckel | 60 | United States | Climate change and pollution [339] | In a note sent to The New York Times and other news outlets, along with a copy attached to a shopping cart near his body he stated fossil fuel use and the environmental destruction it causes as the reason he decided to end his life by self-immolation with fossil fuels. Buckel was a prominent lawyer for gay rights, and was involved in environmental causes. [340] [341] [342] |
May 20, 2018 | Fathi Harb | 20 | Palestine | Economic situation in Gaza | Died on May 23. [343] [344] |
June 20, 2018 | Chloe Sagal | 31 | United States | Homelessness and mental health issues | Several days after threatening self-harm with a machete, Sagal walked into a downtown Oregon Park, read a statement regarding homelessness and mental health before covering herself with fluid and setting herself alight. [345] |
June 26, 2018 | John Watts | 58 | Corruption at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs | Military veteran self-immolated on the steps of the Georgia state Capitol to protest corruption at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. [346] | |
August 3, 2018 | Vatan Karabash | 47–48 | Crimea (disputed) | Russian annexation of Crimea and repressions of the Crimean Tatars | Karabash set himself on fire in public, declaring Russia policies to be lawless; he had previously expressed anger at plans for demolition of Crimean Tatar houses in Russian-annexed Crimea, which had been deemed "illegal" since they were built before deported Crimean Tatars were permitted to return. Bystanders put out the flames and the injuries were reported to be non-fatal. [347] |
August 15, 2018 | Unknown | 50s | United Kingdom | Homelessness | A woman in her fifties (later identified under the pseudonym "Melanie Smith"), under threat of eviction and suffering from mental health issues set herself on fire at the housing office of Barnet London Borough Council. She died in intensive care several months later, with council employees reportedly having been ordered not to discuss the incident with journalists. [348] [349] |
September 19, 2018 | Nicholas McCrary | 29 | United States | Involuntary celibacy and mental health | McCrary was a prolific YouTuber who had autism and whose videos were popular with "blackcels" (black incels). He also used the pseudonym Baraka Mckray, and accused black women of being "prejudiced" against autistic men such as himself. [350] [351] |
September 27, 2018 | Umit Acar | 26 | Germany | Against the imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan | Self-immolated in Ingolstadt, as Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was to visit Germany. [352] |
November 4, 2018 | Dopo | 23 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Nomad in Ngaba. Shouted "May His Holiness the Dalai Lama live long! May we soon behold his golden countenance!" and set self ablaze after. Died at the scene [353] |
November 28, 2018 | Mahsun Özen | 21 | Turkey | Treatment of Kurds in Turkey | Self-immolated on the anniversary of the Roboski airstrike in which 34 Kurds died [354] |
December 8, 2018 | Drugko | 22 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Former monk turned nomad. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Status unknown. [355] |
December 9, 2018 | Gedhun Gyatso | 16 | Monk in Ngaba. Self-immolated in Ngaba, died shortly afterwards [356] | ||
January 18, 2019 | Unknown | 54 | Czech Republic | In memory of Jan Palach who burned himself to death in 1969, protesting the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia | Suffered 30% burns after setting himself on fire at the central Wenceslas Square of Prague on the 50th anniversary of Jan Palach's death from his self-immolation protest against the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. According to Czech authorities, "he said it was only a remembrance to Jan Palach". [357] |
February 20, 2019 | Uğur Şakar | 43 | Germany | Against the imprisonment of Abdullah Öcalan | Self-immolated in front of the Court in Krefeld, Germany; [358] died in hospital a month later [359] |
May 29, 2019 | Arnav Gupta | 33 | United States | Unknown | An Indian-origin resident of Bethesda, Maryland died in hospital that day after setting himself on fire near the White House in Washington, D.C. while wearing a USA T-shirt. The Washington Post described his actions as "an unmistakable protest, the loudest, most spectacular cry that people in pain can come up with". [360] |
July 19, 2019 | Kim (surname) | 78 | South Korea | A man used 20 liters of fuel to set himself on fire in his car in the early morning outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul. He died several hours later in the hospital. [361] | |
September 9, 2019 | Sahar Khodayari | 29 | Iran | The right for women in Iran to attend a football match alongside men | The Iranian female football fan died that day, one week after setting herself on fire outside an Iranian court, reportedly after learning she may have to serve a six-month sentence for trying to enter a football stadium (alongside men). [362] |
September 10, 2019 | Albert Razin | 79 | Russia | The declining status and use of the Udmurt language in Russia. | The scholar and activist set himself on fire outside the State Council building in Izhevsk, Udmurt Republic, as the regional government was considering passing a bill to reduce the status of the indigenous Udmurt language in the republic. Razin died the same day. [363] [364] |
October 23, 2019 | Ali Wazir | 31 | Switzerland | In protest of the Turkish invasion of Syria | A Syrian Kurdish man set himself on fire in front of the seat of the UNHCR in Geneva. [365] |
November 10, 2019 | Anas K. | 22 | France | Student living costs, fascism, neoliberalism | A 22-year-old man enrolled at Lyon 2 University set himself on fire in front of a university restaurant in response to being unable to sustain himself on €450 a month. In a post on Facebook, he blamed Emmanuel Macron, François Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy and the EU for having "killed" him, and also attacked Marine Le Pen and media figures for creating fear, also urging readers to "Fight against the rise of fascism which divides us, and against liberalism which creates inequalities". He was admitted to hospital with 90% burns over his body. [366] [367] |
November 26, 2019 | Yonten | 24 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Tibetan nomad. Formerly monk at Kirti Monastery. Self-immolated in Ngaba. Died at the scene [368] |
Date | Name | Age | Country | Protesting | Notes and references |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
February 7, 2020 | Adem Yarıcı | 42 | Turkey | Unemployment in Turkey | 42-year-old unemployed man, father of two, set himself on fire in front of Hatay governor's office. Witnesses said that he shouted "My kids are hungry!" before setting himself ablaze. He died on the same day. The governor claimed that Yarıcı divorced from his wife a while ago, had mental illness and attempt to self-immolate before. [369] [370] [371] |
June 16, 2020 | Unknown | 48 | Poland | Unknown; reportedly said there is "no justice" to police at the scene | A 48-year-old man set himself on fire shortly after talking to journalists outside of the Sejm building in Warsaw, Poland. [372] |
July 18, 2020 | Linda J. Zhang | 18 | United States | Protesting climate change inaction [373] | High school student from New York self-immolated and died from injuries. A climate activist who left an op-ed to the New York Times before she died. [373] |
July 27, 2020 | Arie den Dekker | 54 | Netherlands | Murder witness, removed from family, turned homeless | Den Dekker had witnessed a murder in 2018. Following this, his house was torched multiple times and he was put into a witness protection program. Unable to be with his family and having his pleas ignored by the municipality and the government, Den Dekker protested in front of Oss' city hall multiple times, throwing dead fish inside, dousing himself in cow feces and committing other acts of despair on multiple occasions. On July 27 he committed suicide by self-immolation in front of the city hall. [374] |
August 3, 2020 | Yavuz Polat | 46 | Turkey | Economical issues | A 47-year-old street vendor from Erzincan set himself on fire after the police wanted him to remove his corn stall. He died on August 27. [375] [376] |
August 4, 2020 | Anastasia Niklas | 24 | Ukraine | Unknown | 24-year-old Anastasia Niklas lit herself on fire in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, outside a Catholic church in the center of the city. [377] According to a security guard who was on duty, the woman arrived around 4:00 am, doused herself with gasoline, and lit herself on fire. Her motives remain unknown, she died on the spot. [378] |
August 14, 2020 | Fikret Güven | Turkey | Economical issues | A tea maker set himself on fire in front of the Bursa governorship after the police closed the roads to his shop. | |
September 18, 2020 | Syarhei Radchenya | 36 | Belarus | Fraudulent election and follow-on police abuse and brutality against protests in Belarus. | 36-year-old Syarhei Radchenya set himself on fire in Smalavichy, Belarus, near the local police department. According to the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Syarhei poured gasoline over himself from a canister and set it on fire after which an employee ran out of the district department building and put out the fire. Syarhei was hospitalized in critical condition with burns on 84% of his body surface, including the respiratory tract. He died on September 25, 2020, as a result of his injuries. [381] |
October 2, 2020 | Irina Slavina | 47 | Russia | Journalist; her apartment was searched the day before by the police alleging her ties to the Open Russia group | Russian journalist Irina Slavina set herself on fire in front of the Interior Ministry office in Nizhniy Novgorod. She died there of the resulting burns. [382] [383] |
November 2, 2020 | Leroy Archie Ponpon | Liberia | Chief Justice refusing months of salary for workers | Led several protests prior to self-immolation date. Survived. [384] | |
January 11, 2021 | Liu Jin | 48 | China | Employers refusing to make payment as well as fair treatment for delivery workers | Delivery worker in Taizhou. Asked for payment from employers but was denied. Set fire shortly afterwards. Died soon after. [385] |
February 12, 2021 | Halil S. | 49 | Germany | Against the detention conditions of Abdullah Öcalan | He set himself on fire in front of the Landtag in Dresden [386] [387] |
April 12, 2021 | Itzik Saidyan | 26 | Israel | Government treatment of disabled veterans | He set himself on fire in front of the Defense Ministry's rehabilitation department offices in Petah Tikva that handles the rehabilitation of injured soldiers, [388] two days before the annual Memorial Day. Saidyan fought in the 2014 war in Gaza, Operation Protective Edge, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. [389] |
May 18, 2021 | Behzad Mahmoudi | 25 | Iraq | Poor treatment and living conditions of refugees | Asylum seeker from Iran. Self-immolated in front of journalists. Died on May 23, 2021. [390] |
September 14, 2021 | Ella Nik Bayan | 40 | Germany | Transphobia and treatment of immigrants | 40 year old trans woman who burned herself publicly in Alexanderplatz square, Berlin. Ella had immigrated from Iran years earlier. [391] |
January 1, 2022 | Unknown | Australia | Vaccine ID and mandates | He set himself on fire on Church St. in Richmond, Victoria, sustaining life-threatening injuries. The man was stopped by paramedics and police. [392] [393] | |
January 31, 2022 | Unknown | 33 | Italy | Unknown | Man of unknown identity set himself on fire in front of a Carabinieri barrack Rende, Calabria, sustaining life-threatening injuries and burns to 70% of his body. Local police and man's family confirm man was twice vaccinated and self-immolation was not due to the vaccine mandate. He was a teacher. |
February 25, 2022 | Tsewang Norbu | 25 | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Popular Tibetan singer from Nangchu. Self-immolated in front of the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Died in the hospital a few days later. |
March 27, 2022 | Taphun | 81 | Nomad from Meruma nomadic village in Ngaba. Self-immolated in front of a police station near Kirti Monastery. Died a few hours after. [397] [398] | ||
March 30, 2022 | Tsering Samdup | Self-immolated near a monastery in Kyegudo. Status unknown. [399] | |||
April 22, 2022 | Wynn Bruce | 54 | United States | Protesting climate change inaction [400] | Man from Boulder, Colorado self-immolated in front of the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. Died from injuries. [401] Described himself as a Buddhist and climate activist. [400] |
May 18, 2022 | Krishanpal | 52 | India | Police inaction | He set himself ablaze outside an SSP office alleging police inaction over a complaint he filed against some people for destroying his crops. [402] [403] |
June, 2022 | Unknown monk | Tibet | Political situation in Tibet | Monk from Kanhlo prefecture in Gansu. Self-immolated in front of a portrait of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Died at the scene. [404] | |
September 21, 2022 | Unknown | 70s | Japan | Funeral of Shinzo Abe | A man in his 70s set himself on fire near the Prime Minister's Official Residence in protest of the decision to hold an official state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. [405] |
January 24, 2023 | Prem Prasad Acharya | 37 | Nepal | Corruption in Nepal as well as his unsuccessful business career | Died 3 days after. [406] |
January 31, 2023 | Unknown | 58 | Brazil | Supreme Federal Court | The 58-year-old native of Botucatu, São Paulo set fire to his own body in the central median of the Esplanade of the Ministries and shouted against Alexandre de Moraes, saying "morte ao Xandão " (lit. 'death to Xandão'). Alongside the man, papers with photos of Johann Georg Elser, Nelson Mandela, and Claus von Stauffenberg were found; all images were accompanied by the phrase "perdeu, mané " (lit. 'you lost, dude'), previously used by Luís Roberto Barroso. [407] He remained hospitalized for two days and died on 2 February. [408] |
March 1, 2023 | Chet Bohrer | 42 | United States | Bullying and mental health | 42 year old resident of Salt Lake City, Utah set himself on fire at Bancroft Way and Telegraph Ave on the UC Berkeley campus. He had no known affiliation with the university. Bohrer died in the hospital from his injuries days later. He claimed to have been bullied and spied on by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. [409] |
March 27, 2023 | Ahmed Jaouad | 61 | Morocco | Precarity, insufficient pension fund | A Moroccan playwright died six days after setting himself on fire following a failed hunger strike in hopes of raising his pension fund from his thirty years of service at the Moroccan Ministry of Culture which was insufficient to provide for his family. [410] [411] Jaouad's wife and children were awarded financial compensation by the ministry after his death. [412] [411] |
April 13, 2023 | Nizar Issaoui | 35 | Tunisia | Human rights in Tunisia, Anti-police sentiment | A local Tunisian footballer died after setting himself on fire in what he said was a protest against Tunisia's "police state". [413] During his funeral, demonstrators started throwing stones at police, who retaliated with tear gas. [414] |
May 1, 2023 | Yang Hoe-dong | South Korea | Union violations as well as charges he received as a Union activist | Popular labour rights activist. Self immolated in front of a courthouse, deceased. [415] | |
May 21, 2023 | Karl-Udson Azor | 30 | Haiti | Unknown | Self-immolated in front of the Vertieres Monument. Died at the scene with Haitian flag next to him. [416] |
August 1, 2023 | Bar Kalaf | 33 | Israel | The Defense Ministry denying him disability status | Kalaf served in the Israeli Defense Force from 2008 to 2011 and saw combat in Operation Protective Edge as a reservist, where he claimed he developed post-traumatic stress disorder. The Defense Ministry rejected his application for disability status, stating he had a mental disorder unrelated to his military duties. Kalaf self-immolated in his home and afterwards was rushed to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan where he died. [417] [418] |
August 17, 2023 | Robert Gituhu | 28 | Kenya | Unemployment and Poverty in Kenya and high cost in food | Graduated with Engineer degree. Climbed statue in Mobasa and self-immolated. Died several hours after 80% burns on body. [419] |
November 8, 2023 | Unknown male | DRC | Protest of the genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). | Congolese man set himself on fire to protest the ongoing genocide in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The video, which was posted on Twitter on November 8, 2023, shows the man, who has not been identified, standing in front of a crowd in Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC, holding a sign that reads "Stop the genocide in Congo". [420] | |
April 19, 2024 | Maxwell Azzarello | 37 | United States | Protest against the US Government | A 37-year-old man from St. Augustine, Florida self-immolated outside of the New York courthouse where jurors were being chosen for the New York State criminal trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump [421] [422] [423] [424] after posting an anti-government manifesto on Substack. [425] |
December 1, 2023 | Unknown female | United States | Protest against United States military support of the Gaza genocide | Protester self-immolated outside the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta, Georgia; following what officials described as "an act of extreme political protest", a Palestinian national flag was recovered at the scene. [426] [427] [428] | |
February 25, 2024 | Aaron Bushnell | 25 | The active-duty US Airman self-immolated outside the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. He was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. [429] [430] | ||
September 11, 2024 | Matt Nelson | 45 | A protestor self-immolated outside the Boston, Massachusetts Israeli Consulate. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital afterwards. Died in hospital 4 days later. [431] [432] [433] | ||
October 5, 2024 | Samuel Mena Jr | 29 | Photojournalist for KTVK from Phoenix, Arizona. Attempted self-immolating in Washington DC in front of the White House. Set arm on fire but flames quickly doused by protesters. Taken to hospital with burns on arms. [434] [435] | ||
May 1, 2024 | Ruslan Palitsyn | 24 | Russia | Protest of army enlistment during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | Ruslan was an actor. He lit himself on fire outside a Russian military registration in St Petersburg where he suffered 90% burns. He died the day after. [436] |
August 28, 2024 | Mano Yogalingam | 23 | Australia | Protest on asylum seeker bridging visas. | Yogalingam was a Tamil asylum seeker who self-immolated in Melbourne's south-east after attending a majority of the protests being held outside the Department of Home Affairs. [437] |
September 15, 2024 | Ekong Eshiet | United States | Protest against religious violations isolation, racism, and brutality against prison inmates | Ekong and Trayvon were both inmates at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia. On September 15, both men set themselves on fire in solitary confinement making these demands and suffered third degree burns and were transferred to University of Virginia. Ekong appeared on a PrisonRadio show where he revealed his reasons why he self-immolated and that he had begun a hunger strike but other prison inmates also began a hunger strike. [438] | |
September 15, 2024 | Trayvon Brown | United States | Protest against isolation, racism, and brutality against prison inmates | Ekong and Trayvon were both inmates at Red Onion State Prison in Virginia. On September 15, both men set themselves on fire in solitary confinement making these demands and suffered third degree burns and were transferred to University of Virginia. [438] | |
October 18, 2024 | Unknown | 56 | Chile | Protest against the government for a case of unlawful coercion against him | A 56-year-old man attempted self-immolation outside of the Palacio de los Tribunales de Justicia de Santiago, Chile. Flames where quickly doused by Carabineros, and the man was taken to hospital with burns on his neck. [439] |
Self-immolation is the act of setting oneself on fire. It is mostly done for political or religious reasons, often as a form of protest or in acts of martyrdom. Due to its disturbing and violent nature, it is considered one of the most extreme methods of protest.
Larung Gar in the Larung Valley is a community in Sêrtar County of Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in Sichuan, China, known as Kham. Larung Gar is the local name for the community of mostly Tibetan and Han Chinese students which grew around the Serta Larung Five Science Buddhist Academy, founded in 1980 by Kyabje Khenchen Jigme Phuntsok. The residents are monks, nuns, vow holders and lay people. Larung Gar was considered the largest Buddhist monastic center until demolitions by the Chinese government recommenced in July 2016.
Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Aba, is an autonomous prefecture of northwestern Sichuan, bordering Gansu to the north and northeast and Qinghai to the northwest. Its seat is in Barkam, and it has an area of 83,201 km2 (32,124 sq mi). The population was 895,200 by 2022.
Palden Gyatso was a Tibetan Buddhist monk. Arrested for protesting during the Chinese invasion of Tibet, he spent 33 years in Chinese prisons and labor camps, where he was extensively tortured, and served the longest term of any Tibetan political prisoner. After his release in 1992 he fled to Dharamsala in North India, in exile. He was still a practicing monk and became a political activist, traveling the world publicizing the cause of Tibet up until his death in 2018. His autobiography Fire Under the Snow is also known as The Autobiography of a Tibetan Monk. He was the subject of the 2008 documentary film Fire Under the Snow.
The 2008 Tibetan unrest, also referred to as the 2008 Tibetan uprising in Tibetan media, was a series of protests and demonstrations over the Chinese government's treatment and persecution of Tibetans. Protests in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by monks and nuns on 10 March have been viewed as the start of the demonstrations. Numerous protests and demonstrations were held to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Day, when the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet. The protests and demonstrations spread spontaneously to a number of monasteries and throughout the Tibetan plateau, including into counties located outside the designated Tibet Autonomous Region.
The sinicization of Tibet includes the programs and laws of the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to force cultural assimilation in Tibetan areas of China, including the Tibet Autonomous Region and the surrounding Tibetan-designated autonomous areas. The efforts are undertaken by China in order to remake Tibetan culture into mainstream Chinese culture.
The 2008 Lhasa riots, also referred to as the March 14 riots or March 14 incident in Chinese media, was one of a number of violent protests that took place during the 2008 Tibetan unrest.
In Sichuan province, in an area incorporating the traditional Tibetan areas Kham and Amdo, Tibetan monks and police clashed in riots on 16 March in Ngaba county (Aba) after the monks staged a protest. It formed part of the 2008 Tibetan unrest and was one of two major events to happen in Sichuan during 2008, the other being the 2008 Sichuan earthquake in May 2008.
Ngawa County, or Aba or Ngaba, is a county in the northwest of Sichuan Province, China. It is under the administration of the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture. It is located in the remote northwestern part of the prefecture, on the border with Qinghai and Gansu. The county seat is Ngawa Town.
Sêrtar County or Serthar County is a county in the northwest of Sichuan Province, China, bordering Qinghai province to the north. It is one of the 18 counties under the administration of the Garzê Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, covering some 9,340 square kilometres. Sêrtar, which means "golden freedom" in Tibetan, lies in the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau and in the historical region of Kham. The vast majority of the population is Tibetan, followed by Han Chinese.
Altruistic suicide is the sacrifice of one's life in order to save or benefit others, for the good of the group, or to preserve the traditions and honor of a society. It is always intentional. Benevolent suicide refers to the self-sacrifice of one's own life for the sake of the greater good. Such a sacrifice may be performed for the sake of executing a particular action, or for the sake of keeping a natural balance in the society.
Tarek El-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi was a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire on 17 December 2010 in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, an act which became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring against autocratic regimes. His self-immolation was in response to the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation inflicted on him by a municipal official and their aides.
The Phuntsog self-immolation incident occurred when a Tibetan Buddhist monk by the name of Rigzin Phuntsog self-immolated on March 16, 2011 in Ngawa County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan province, People's Republic of China. This was followed by another self-immolation incident on September 26, 2011. By March 2012, more than thirty other Tibetans had self-immolated as a protest against Chinese rule of Tibet.
Kirti Gompa, is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery founded in 1472 and located in Ngawa, Sichuan province, in China, but traditionally part of Amdo region. Numerous other associated Kirti monasteries and nunneries are located nearby. As of March 2011, the Kirti Gompa was said to house 2,500 monks. Between 2008 and 2011, mass arrests and patriotic re-education programs by Chinese authorities have targeted the monks, reducing the population substantially to 600 monks. The wave of Tibetan self-immolations began at Kirti Gompa.
Protests and uprisings against the government of the People's Republic of China have occurred in Tibet since 1950, and include the 1959 uprising, the 2008 uprising, and the subsequent self-immolation protests.
As of May 2022, 160 monks, nuns, and ordinary people have self-immolated in Tibet since 27 February 2009, when Tapey, a young monk from Kirti Monastery, set himself on fire in the marketplace in Ngawa City, Ngawa County, Sichuan. According to the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), "Chinese police have beaten, shot, isolated, and disappeared self-immolators who survived."
Chen Quanguo is a Chinese retired politician who was the Chinese Communist Party Committee Secretary of Tibet Autonomous Region from 2011 to 2016 and of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region from 2016 to 2021, making him the only person to serve as the Party Secretary for both autonomous regions. Between 2017 and 2022, he was a member of the 19th Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and was also Political Commissar of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps concurrently with his position as Xinjiang Party Secretary.
Tibet on Fire: Self-Immolations Against Chinese Rule is a book written by Tsering Woeser, published by Verso Books in 2016. The book is a contemporary look at a major social and human rights problem caused by the forced integration of Tibetan and Chinese societies, and due to empirically repressive policies of the Chinese (PRC) government.
Antireligious campaigns in China are a series of policies and practices taken as part of the Chinese Communist Party's official promotion of state atheism, coupled with its persecution of people with spiritual or religious beliefs, in the People's Republic of China. Antireligious campaigns were launched in 1949, after the Chinese Communist Revolution, and they continue to be waged against Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, and members of other religious communities in China.
Tsewang Norbu was a Tibetan singer who performed in Tibetan, Mandarin Chinese, and English. He rose to national prominence in China through his performances in various variety shows.
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In 1998, Alfredo Ormando died after setting himself on fire in protest at the church's condemnation of homosexuality.
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