The 2008 Tibetan unrest (also referred to as the 2008 uprising in Tibetan media or the 3-14 Riots in Chinese media) was a series of protests and demonstrations over the Chinese government's treatment and persecution of Tibetans. Protests in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by monks and nuns on 10 March have been viewed as the start of the demonstrations. Numerous peaceful protests and demonstrations were held to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the 1959 Tibetan Uprising Day, when the 14th Dalai Lama escaped from Tibet. The protests and demonstrations spread spontaneously to a number of monasteries and throughout the Tibetan plateau, including into counties located outside the designated Tibet Autonomous Region. The arrest of monks at Labrang Monastery increased the tension of the situation. Violence began when Chinese police and People's Liberation Army units used force on non-violent protests by monks and nuns, and spread when protesting Tibetans later clashed with security forces. Clashes also occurred between Tibetans and Chinese Han and Hui residents, resulting in Han and Hui stores and buildings being destroyed and numerous Chinese civilians being injured or killed.The use of force by Chinese police and military forces during the demonstrations have been controversial, with some deeming it excessive force. The demonstrations in Lhasa were met with electric prods, tear gas, and shootings, according to a report by Human Rights Watch on the use of force by Chinese forces. The International Campaign for Tibet estimates a total of 235 protests occurred from 10 March until the end of October 2009. The Chinese government's Xinhua News Agency estimated that 150 protests occurred between 10 March and 25 March. A casualty estimate according to the Chinese government stated 23 people were killed during the riots themselves, the Central Tibetan Administration stated 203 were killed in the aftermath alone, and the Dalai Lama stated 400 Tibetans were killed in total. Foreign journalists were expelled or forced to leave during the uprising anniversary. Amnesty International reported 1,000 Tibetan protestors remained "unaccounted for" by June 2008, while the Central Tibetan Administration reported 5,600 arrests of Tibetans between March 2008 and January 2009, with 1,294 injuries within the same period.

Protests supporting Tibetans were held in cities in North America and Europe, as well as in Beijing, Australia, India, and Nepal. Many of the international protests also called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. On 24 March, the torch lighting ceremony in Greece was disrupted by activists, including some from Reporters Without Borders. At Chinese embassies, protests ranged from pelting the embassies with eggs and rocks to protestors entering the premises and raising Tibetan flags, which was outlawed in Tibet by the Chinese government in 1959.Protesters in Tibet that were arrested and detained claimed they were tortured and told to admit they were paid to protest by the 14th Dalai Lama. The Chinese government stated the unrest was motivated by separatism and blamed the Dalai Lama for orchestrating it. The Dalai Lama denied the accusation and said that the situation was caused by "deep seated disillusionment and despair" in Tibet, and invited Chinese officials to come to India with its evidence. Representatives of the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama held talks on China's Tibet policies on 4 May and 1 July of the same year.