At noon, a picket action will take place outside the Chinese Embassy, followed by display of a movie From the Roof of the World by director Vytautas V. Landsbergis at Užupis cafe.
Tibetan flags will be raised close to the Angel of Uzupis sculpture in Vilnius in sign of solidarity with the people of Tibet.
The day of solidarity with Tibet has been celebrated in Lithuania for more than two decades to mark the 1959 uprising in Tibet.
Tibet lost its autonomy from China back in 1951 after Beijing deployed its army in the territory that had declared independence. Around 150 Tibetans have set themselves on fire since 2008 in protest of China’s repressions in the region.
Lithuania fell into China’s disfavor after President Dalia Grybauskaitė met with the Dalai Lama in Vilnius in 2013. At the end of 2017, Lithuania’s parliament set up a group of support to Tibet, a Tibet Square was opened in the Lithuanian capital eight years ago, with its name written in the Tibetan language.
Negotiations with China on various issues stalled until Beijing issued a statement in February 2015, stating its willingness to develop good ties.