Photo: Claude-Max Lochu / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is a political prisoner. Gedhun Choekyi Nyima was born in Lhari County, People's Republic of China on April 25, 1989. The age as of 2026 is 37.
My Take
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is arguably the world's longest-held political prisoner, and the sheer audacity of his case still floors me — a six-year-old boy, recognized by the Dalai Lama as the 11th Panchen Lama on May 14, 1995, and then vanished by the Chinese government just three days later. Three days. He'd be in his mid-thirties now, and nobody outside the Chinese state has been able to verify he's even alive. The CCP installed its own handpicked replacement, which is a level of religious and political overreach that's hard to wrap your head around. What strikes me most is how completely the world has allowed this to slide — he remains a symbol of everything broken about how Tibet is treated, a living (we hope) reminder that some injustices just quietly persist while the news cycle moves on.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gedhun Choekyi Nyima
- Name (Japanese)
- ゲンドゥン・チューキ・ニマ
- Reading
- げんどぅん・ちゅーき・にま
- Born
- April 25, 1989 (age 37)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Snake
- Origin
- Lhari County, People's Republic of China
- Occupation
- political prisoner
2. Links
3. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Gedhun Choekyi Nyima born?
Born April 25, 1989 (age 37).
Where is Gedhun Choekyi Nyima from?
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is from Lhari County, People's Republic of China.
What does Gedhun Choekyi Nyima do?
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima works as political prisoner.