TCHRD Statements

A Tibetan mother of two, who was also a popular social media personality, died at the hands of her ex-husband on 30 September because she had refused to return to her abusive marriage. Lhamo, 30, was stabbed and then set on fire by the ex-husband on 14 September while she was live streaming from her home. The horrifying attack on Lhamo on the Chinese video app Douyin triggered a wave of outrage among Chinese netizens, who condemned the crime and demanded that Chinese authorities be held accountable for failing to prevent domestic violence. Despite government censorship, there were vociferous calls advocating for better laws and support systems for domestic abuse victims. Lhamo’s tragic death highlighted China’s appalling tolerance of gender-based violence despite enacting the Anti-Domestic Law in 2016.