KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A conference on Tibetan studies scheduled to be held this month in Nepal was called off at the request of government officials who gave no reason for the decision, organizers said Thursday.
The International Association for Tibetan Studies seminar was scheduled to be held in Nepal Aug. 23-26, to be attended by delegates from many countries and hosted by the Himalaya Centre for Asian Studies at Kathmandu University.
Prof. Sagar Raj Sharma of the Center confirmed they made the decision to cancel after top government officials asked them not to hold the conference. No specific reasons were given.
There was no immediate comment from the government, but Nepal has long maintained good relations with China and has disallowed any pro-Tibetan activities.
China has ruled Tibet since 1951, when Communist forces occupied the Himalayan territory. Decades of political repression followed, including the demolition of some Buddhist monasteries and the suppression of all forms of political or cultural expression outside Communist Party control.
Thousands of Tibetan refugees live in Nepal and pass through the territory to reach their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India. However, Nepal has maintained it will not allow any protests, rallies or activities against any friendly countries.
There have been several protests by refugees living in Nepal where police have been used to quell them.
The birthday celebration of Dalai Lama is held every year in Nepal, but within the boundaries of monasteries or schools and police keep a close watch.
FILE -Exile Tibetan Buddhist monks carry a portrait of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama as they gather to celebrate Losar, or Tibetan New Year, celebrations in Kathmandu, Nepal, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File)
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli prosecutors Thursday charged a settler for the killing of a Palestinian community leader last year in the occupied West Bank, according to an indictment filed in district court.
In the document, prosecutors accuse Yinon Levi, who lives in the south of the West Bank, of reckless manslaughter in the death of prominent Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen in July 2025. The charge holds a lesser punishment than murder under Israeli law. The indictment also charges Levi with armed trespassing and malicious property damage.
It is extremely rare for Israel to charge settlers with violence against Palestinians. Israeli rights group B’Tselem said that the charges against Levi mark the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, that an Israeli has been indicted for the death of a Palestinian in the West Bank. In that time, the group said, Israeli settlers and soldiers have killed at least 1,100 Palestinians in the territory.
A lawyer for Levi, Avichay Hajbi, did not confirm whether an indictment was handed down, but told The Associated Press that the prosecution had made a “mistaken decision.” He said the defense would respond to the accusations in court.
Levi was shown in video footage shooting at crowds of Palestinians in Hathaleen’s village, Umm al-Khair, on the day the activist was killed. Witnesses said one of the shots Levi fired struck Hathaleen, who was standing meters away.
One video showed Levi firing two shots, while another, which family members say was taken by Hathaleen himself, showed Levi firing toward the person holding the camera. The footage cuts, but the person can still be heard moaning in pain.
Hathaleen was a prominent voice advocating against settler violence and was involved in the 2025 Oscar-winning film “No Other Land,” which chronicled the fight by Palestinian residents to protect their homes and villages. A teacher and father of three, he often hosted international activists and dignitaries in his home.
His public profile and the videos capturing the moment of the alleged shooting ignited global calls for Levi’s prosecution.
Levi was among the Israeli settlers sanctioned by the United States and other Western countries over allegations of violence toward Palestinians in 2024. U.S. President Donald Trump lifted the U.S. sanctions after taking office the following year.
FILE -Yinon Levi works on his farm in the South Hebron Hills, West Bank, May 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo, File)
FILE -Mourners carry the body of Palestinian activist Awdah Al Hathaleen, who was killed by Israeli settler according to Palestinian health officials, during his funeral in the West Bank Bedouin village of Umm al-Khair, Aug. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean, File)
