The Hague: A newly released joint report by six UN Special Rapporteurs has brought global attention to Bhutan’s severe human rights violations, particularly its prolonged persecution of political prisoners. The findings, welcomed by the Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) and Human Rights Watch (HRW), expose alarming abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, unfair trials, and inhumane prison conditions.
For years, Bhutan has cultivated an image of a peaceful Himalayan kingdom but this report reveals a starkly different reality. Many political prisoners, especially from the Lhotshampa ethnic minority, have been unjustly imprisoned for advocating democracy and human rights. Subjected to degrading treatment and prolonged suffering, these prisoners are denied medical care and fundamental legal protections, highlighting Bhutan’s systematic efforts to silence dissenting voices.
The report details how Bhutanese authorities misuse anti-terrorism laws and vague national security provisions to target political opponents. Political detainees often face prolonged imprisonment without trial, forced confessions under duress, and severe restrictions on communication with their families.
The UN experts state in the report: “We implore the King to exercise His Majesty’s power to pardon and release these prisoners.” The Special Rapporteurs have raised serious concerns regarding the use of torture, lack of fair trials, violations of fundamental human rights, and inhumane prison conditions.
Despite not being a party to key international treaties such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the Convention Against Torture (CAT), Bhutan is still bound by customary international human rights law. The report underscores Bhutan’s failure to uphold international obligations, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and recommendations from the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in 2019. This report documents the cases of 19 political prisoners—out of a total of 32 prisoners—due to consent requirements, but it acknowledges that the remaining 13 are equally included in the call for justice.
Meanwhile, has again urged Bhutanese authorities to immediately release all political prisoners and comply with international human rights standards. “This report is a powerful validation of the injustices faced by political prisoners in Bhutan. Their voices must no longer be silenced,” said GCRPPB. “We stand in solidarity with the victims and their families and will continue advocating until every political prisoner is freed.”
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