Portrait of Dargye
Photo: International Campaign for Tibet · Used with permission arranged by V-TAG, 2026-10-15
Record
SI-044
Date
Place
Outside the Jokhang Temple, Lhasa, the so-called Tibet Autonomous Region
Region
Ü-Tsang
Age
Believed to be 25
Affiliation
Former monk of Kirti Monastery; worked in a restaurant in Lhasa
Outcome
Died CTA lists his current status as: Unknown. (unconfirmed)
Other spellings
Dhargye

What happened

According to ICT, Dargye and Dorje Tseten set fire to themselves together outside the Jokhang Temple on 27 May 2012, during the holy month of Saga Dawa, in the first self-immolation protest in Lhasa. Kirti monks in exile said Dargye, originally from Ngaba, had entered Kirti Monastery as a boy and later disrobed; Voice of America reported that the two worked in a restaurant in Lhasa.

Aftermath

ICT reported that Lhasa’s Public Security Bureau set up a special task force to investigate, and later reported detentions and fear in Lhasa after the protest.

Labelled unconfirmed: outcome. The sources differ or do not confirm these details; both versions are kept in the record.

Sources & References

Primary records