WORLD WORLDWIDE INTERNATIONAL #HumanRightsWatch #Reports #News Journal Update - THE WEEK IN RIGHTS

 

March 17, 2023

Photos of Imprisoned Bhutanese activists. © Private Bhutan Should Free Long-Term Political Prisoners Bhutan, a Buddhist kingdom in the eastern Himalayas, has enshrined in its constitution the principle of “Gross National Happiness.” The government adopted this pursuit, rooted in supposed respect for human rights, when it switched from an absolute monarchy in 2008 to a constitutional one. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to apply to the dozens of Bhutanese political prisoners who have been behind bars for decades. Trial and Torture In cases mostly originating from prior to 2008, courts convicted and imposed long sentences, often life without parole, on peaceful political and anti-discrimination activists and others arrested for a range of alleged national security offenses. These sentences followed unfair trials and alleged torture to extract confessions. One prisoner convicted of treason and terrorism told us, “The physical torture was merciless, so we had no option but to present ourselves to the court based on their [security forces] demands and statements. Then the district court declared a sentence of life imprisonment for us. We weren’t given any legal help.” While the total number of political prisoners in Bhutan remains unknown, Human Rights Watch collected information relating to 37 current prisoners who were first detained between 1990 and 2010. Most of them are held separately from other prisoners, in poor conditions, and are denied regular communication with their families. Many families said they have not been provided with any official documentation, and still do not know why their relatives were convicted. A History of Discrimination Most of this group – 32 prisoners – belong to Bhutan’s Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa (“Southerner”) community, which has faced decades of discrimination and abuse from the Bhutanese government. In the early 1990s, over 90,000 Lhotshampas were forced to become refugees in Nepal, following a crisis precipitated by discriminatory laws, disputed citizenship regulations, and widespread abuses by Bhutan’s security forces. Of the 32 Lhotshampa political prisoners that HRW identified, 15 were convicted and imprisoned since the 1990s for protesting mistreatment of their community. Real National Happiness Bhutanese activists have appealed to King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck to grant amnesty to these prisoners. If Bhutan’s authorities want to demonstrate the human rights standards they espouse in the kingdom’s constitution, then it’s quite simple: they should release these prisoners and embark on reforms to end torture in custody, unfair trials, and poor prison conditions. Read More News Around the World Perils of Ukraine War for Children in Institutions The Ukraine war has had traumatic and devastating consequences for children in residential institutions, including forcible transfers to Russia and separation from their families. Read More More Migrant Deaths in the Mediterranean Thirty more people have recently died in the Mediterranean because of Europe’s cruel migration policies at sea. Read More Detained Afghans Stuck in Limbo in the UAE Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have arbitrarily detained at least 2,400 Afghans fleeing the Taliban for over 15 months in the “Emirates Humanitarian City.” Read More A Win for Education Australia Commits to Protect Schools During Wartime This week, Australia became the 117th country to endorse the Safe Schools Declaration, an intergovernmental political commitment to reduce the likelihood that students, teachers, and schools are targeted for attack during armed conflict. We have long called on governments around the world to endorse and implement the declaration, which contains measures countries should take to ensure schools, children, and educators are protected from attacks during armed conflict. Australia endorsing the declaration is a big win in the effort to keep kids safe in school. Other countries yet to make this commitment should follow suit. Read More Weekly Quiz Test Your Human Rights Knowledge Do you know your news? Take our weekly quiz and see how you stack up. Find it Here

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