The Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB), based in The Hague, has been tirelessly advocating for the early release of all Bhutanese political prisoners.
Recently, they organized a protest rally at The International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanding the immediate release of these prisoners.
During the rally, Bhutanese community members in the Netherlands held placards and banners with powerful slogans, including “Stop Human Rights Violation in Bhutan,” “No Gross National Happiness without Human Rights,” and “Release all the political prisoners immediately.”
Ram Karki, the founder and global coordinator of GCRPPB, highlighted the plight of Bhutanese political prisoners. Despite Bhutan’s self-proclaimed democratic status, these activists, who played a crucial role in establishing democracy, continue to suffer unjust imprisonment.
Bhutan’s constitution grants the King the authority to grant amnesty, but this power has been repeatedly ignored, leaving political prisoners in dire conditions.
The families of these prisoners have appealed for amnesty, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. The GCRPPB, formed in 2019, persistently advocates for political prisoners’ release, yet their appeals remain unanswered.
The Human Rights Watch has also called for the Bhutanese King to release these prisoners promptly, but progress has been slow.
One notable case is that of Mr. Madhukar Magar, who was recently released after enduring 30 years of rigorous imprisonment in Chemgang Central Prison in Thimphu.
Karki urged the international community, including the European Union, the US State Department, and the UN Human Rights Council, to use their influence to secure amnesty for all political prisoners in Bhutan.
The protest program, chaired by Gopal Gurung, an advisor to GCRPPB, aimed to pressure the European Union during its forthcoming talks with the Bhutanese government.
The situation is urgent: 35 verified Bhutanese political prisoners languish in various Bhutanese prisons, with six of them seriously ill due to inhumane treatment during their arrest.
Additionally, several human rights activists, including Loknath Acharya, Bom Bahadur Tiwari, and Kul Bahadur Basnet, remain missing after being arrested years ago.
The struggle for justice continues, and international attention remains crucial to securing the release of these political prisoners in Bhutan.
