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No Epstein link, says Dalai Lama's office after reports of 'several mentions' in files
“Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link… Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein,” statement noted.
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama's office has issued a clarification on reports about his name popping up in files related to American sexual offender and trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. “We can unequivocally confirm that His Holiness has never met Jeffrey Epstein or authorised any meeting or interaction with him by anyone on His Holiness’s behalf,” said a press statement by the Dalai Lama's office in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.
“Some recent media reports and social media posts concerning the ‘Epstein files’ are attempting to link His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with Jeffrey Epstein,” the statement noted for context.
A number of media outlets — including those controlled by the China government that questions the legitimacy of the Dalai Lama over his advocacy for Tibet's freedom — said his name was mentioned “169 times” in the files.
However, it must be noted that mentions in the thousands of emails, messages, other files related to Epstein do not constitute any wrongdoing on their own. Many of these mentions in these files, released by the US Department of Justice upon a court order, are trivial and incidental in nature. Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019, was convicted of severe sex-abuse charges, and was allegedly linked to top leaders, businesspeople and diplomats.
Tibetan activists have underlined that “mentions are not evidence” of any crime.
“In the case of the Dalai Lama, none of the released materials indicate illegal behavior, financial exchange, or personal misconduct. The references primarily relate to public events, academic initiatives, or third-party discussions, often written by Epstein himself or intermediaries seeking prestige or access,” wrote Tibet Rights Collective, a Delhi-based advocacy and policy research group, on its website.
“It is critical to distinguish between being mentioned in someone else’s emails and actively participating in or endorsing that person’s actions. The Epstein files-comprising millions of pages of emails, contact lists, schedules, and third-party correspondence-contain references to hundreds of prominent figures across politics, academia, philanthropy, and civil society. The vast majority of those mentioned have not been accused of any crime, nor does inclusion in these documents imply complicity,” it added.
“Importantly, there is no evidence that the Dalai Lama maintained a personal relationship with Epstein, accepted funding from him, or was aware of his criminal activities, many of which became public years later,” it further added.
It noted that the “timing and tone of the renewed scrutiny also warrant attention” as it coincides with “a moment of renewed global visibility for the Dalai Lama, who recently won a Grammy Award".
The award prompted a sharp protest from China’s foreign ministry, which accused the Grammy organisers of “anti-China political maneuvering”, it underlined.
Tenzin Gyatso is the 14th holder of the title Dalai Lama. Until his retirement from political life in 2011, he was also the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
He fled his native Tibet in 1959 during a failed uprising against Chinese Communist forces, which began occupying the region in 1950.
He crossed the Himalayas into India, where the government granted him asylum, allowing him to establish the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, where he has remained in exile to preserve Tibetan culture and campaign for autonomy.
