UN human rights experts have urged Bhutan to release 32 political prisoners detained for decades. The detainees, mostly from the Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa community, were imprisoned after protests in the 1990s and 2010s.
The protests reportedly emerged in response to widespread discrimination against the Lhotshampa minority. Authorities responded with harsh crackdowns, arrests, and mass displacement.
According to UN experts, the prisoners were convicted under vague terrorism and national security laws. Many were given lengthy sentences ranging from 34 years to life.
The UN said these convictions appear arbitrary and violate international law. Experts highlighted the lack of fair trials, access to legal defence, and clarity on the charges.
Concerns were also raised about torture used to extract confessions and the denial of basic prison conditions. Detainees reportedly face inadequate food, water, heating, and medical care. Contact with families is also restricted.
The UN called the detention “cruel and unlawful,” demanding immediate release. Experts urged Bhutan’s King to use his constitutional powers to pardon the prisoners, as he has done in previous cases.
They also appealed to Bhutan to amend its Penal Code and National Security Act. Current laws, they said, are too broad and criminalise peaceful protest.
The Lhotshampa community has long faced exclusion from political, social, and economic rights in Bhutan. In the early 1990s, more than 100,000 people were forcibly displaced.
The UN concluded by calling for national reconciliation and accountability. It encouraged Bhutan to address historic injustices and commit to its international human rights obligations.
