that the alternative Panchen Lama has been victimized by China as "a consequence of its policies to undermine and control the Tibetan people." Earlier on 26 April 2018, the U.S. State Department issued a statement, "On April 25, we marked the birthday of the 11th Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, who has not appeared in public since he was reportedly abducted two decades ago by the Chinese government at age six." The statement also called for the immediate release of the 11th Panchen Lama. As of 2020, the Panchen Lama has been held as a political prisoner for 25 years. Five United Nations committees have opened cases, while numerous governments, including the European Parliament, Canada, U.K., and U.S. have called for China to release the 11th Panchen Lama. An April 2020 joint petition prepared by 159 organizations spanning 18 countries requests the United Nations to pressure China for the Panchen Lama's release, as well as the release of his family. In May 2020, CNN reports that the Central Tibetan Administration stated, "China's abduction of the Panchen Lama and forcible denial of his religious identity and the right to practice in his monastery is not only a violation of religious freedom but also a gross violation of human rights." References Citations Sources Goldstein, Melvyn C. The Snow Lion and the Dragon: China, Tibet, and the Dalai Lama (1997) University of California Press. Hilton, Elizabeth. The Search for the Panchen Lama (2000) W. W. Norton & Company. Kuzmin S.L. Management as a tool of destruction. Reincarnation of "Living Buddhas" in modern Chinese legislation. – The Tibet Journal, vol. 42, no 1, pp. 37-48. Panchen Lamas Controversies in Tibet Political controversies Tibetan Buddhism-related controversies