The Hague: On the occasion of the 77th International Human Rights Day, the Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) urged the Government of Bhutan to immediately release all political prisoners who have spent decades behind bars. The organisation has also appealed to the international community to intensify pressure on Bhutan to ensure the safe and unconditional release of all detainees still held in the country.
Ram Karki, human rights activist and representative of GCRPPB, highlighted the long-standing suffering endured by Bhutanese political detainees, some of whom were arrested in the early 1990s after peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations were met with heavy repression. Many received life sentences under the former political system and remain imprisoned despite Bhutan’s transition to a constitutional monarchy and multi-party democracy in 2007.
Between 1991 and 2009, more than 120,000 Bhutanese refugees displaced by the political upheaval found shelter in UNHCR administered camps in eastern Nepal. After 15 rounds of bilateral talks between Nepal and Bhutan failed to bring a resolution, eight resettlement countries accepted over 113,000 refugees. Today, around 7,000 refugees remain in camps in eastern Nepal, holding onto the hope of returning home with dignity.
GCRPPB notes that many families of political prisoners have since been resettled around the world, resulting in long-term separation and limited communication. The discontinuation of the ICRC family visitation programme has deepened the humanitarian impact, leaving elderly parents uncertain if they will ever see their sons again, children growing up without meeting their fathers, and spouses enduring decades of forced separation.
Karki called on diplomatic missions, international organisations, human rights advocates, and the broader global community to use their influence to encourage Bhutan to grant clemency and reunite these prisoners with their families. He reiterated GCRPPB’s call for immediate action from the Bhutanese authorities.
“This is a profound humanitarian issue that deserves immediate attention,” Karki said. “Bhutan’s democratic transition should open the way for compassion and reconciliation. There is no justification for keeping these individuals behind bars for their peaceful advocacy for rights and justice.”
Currently, 31 human rights activists are serving long sentences—many of them life terms in various prisons across Bhutan. A significant number are suffering from chronic health conditions linked to years of imprisonment, torture, and malnutrition. Despite repeated appeals from international bodies, Bhutan continues to ignore these calls, allowing the suffering of political prisoners to persist, even as the country promotes principles such as Gross National Happiness, compassion, and mindfulness abroad.
GCRPPB, established in 2019, is an international human rights organisation dedicated to advocating for the safe and immediate release of all Bhutanese political prisoners and supporting their reunification with their families.
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