His slogans: “Wherever We Go, We Have No Freedom,” “Freedom for Tibet” and “Let His Holiness the Dalai Lama Return to Tibet”
Name: Gudrub
Age: 43
Sex: Male
Profession: Writer/blogger
Date of Self-immolation: 4 October 2012 at around 10 am (local time)
Location: Driru County in Nagchu, Central Tibet
Current whereabouts/wellbeing: Deceased
Activist-blogger and writer Gudrub set fire to himself on 4 October 2012 while raising slogans on the streets of Nagchu town in Central Tibet. A group of Tibetans carried Gudrub’s badly burned body to the county hospital where doctors later informed them that he had died; his body was not returned to his family. On 14 March 2012 Gudrub had written the following in an essay titled “The Sound of a Victorious Drum Beaten by our Lives” “The people of the Land of Snow [a traditional term for Tibet] share a common goal of bringing His Holiness the Dalai Lama back to an independent Tibet. But when His Holiness opted for autonomy for Tibet through a non-violent struggle, the six million Tibetans accepted his wishes. However, the Chinese government has not supported his proposal. Moreover, Tibetans who are concerned about the welfare of the people are subjected to arbitrary arrests and beatings. Tibetans who refuse to denounce His Holiness the Dalai Lama, or will not accept China’s rule over Tibet, are secretly killed or disappeared. “Since China is uninterested in the wellbeing of the Tibetan people, we are sharpening our non-violent movement. We are declaring the reality of Tibet by burning our own bodies to call for the freedom of Tibet. Higher Beings, Please see Tibet. Mother Earth, Extend compassion to Tibet. Just World, Uphold the Truth. The pure Land of Snow is now tainted with red blood, where military crack downs are unceasing. We as sons and daughters of the Land of Snow will win the battle. “We will win the battle through truth, by shooting the arrows of our lives, by using the bows of our minds. “Dear brothers and sisters of the Land of Snow, please unite together and think first of the wellbeing of all Tibetans by putting aside personal issues. Only then will we enjoy equality and freedom.” By Gudrub from Driru. Gudrub — a native of Driru in Kham, Eastern Tibet — reportedly studied at the Sherab Gatsel Lobling School in Dharamshala, India, before returning to his homeland in 2005 upon completion of his studies. He was described as a “prolific writer” who went by the pen name “Youth of the Snow Realm.” He had always taken a keen interest in political developments concerning the issue of Tibet and read extensively on Tibet’s history.