Amnesty International Report 1995 - Bhutan

A prisoner of conscience spent his fifth year in prison. More than 50 political prisoners, including possible prisoners of conscience, remained in detention without charge or trial. Prison conditions reportedly improved. "Village volunteer groups" were reportedly responsible for possible extrajudicial executions in the south. More than 1,000 Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese were forced to leave the country and some of their houses were deliberately demolished. The governments of Bhutan and Nepal met three times to discuss the fate of more than 85,000 people living in refugee camps in eastern Nepal, the great majority of whom are Nepali-speaking people from southern Bhutan. In April agreement was reached on the procedures for classifying these people into the four categories agreed upon in 1993, with a view to some returning to Bhutan (see Amnesty International Report 1994). However, this work had not started by the end of the year. In October delegates of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Bhutan. Continuing attacks on civilians in southern Bhutan, including armed robbery, rape and sometimes killings, were often attributed by the government to "anti-nationals" returning to Bhutan from the refugee camps in Nepal. There were also reports that armed members of the Bodo tribal community in Assam, India, were responsible for abuses in southern Bhutan. Tek Nath Rizal, a prisoner of conscience, spent his fifth year in prison despite having been pardoned by Bhutan's head of state, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk, in late 1993 (see Amnesty International Report 1994). More than 50 Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese remained held without charge or trial. They included possible prisoners of conscience, many of whom had been held for more than three years. A further 50 had reportedly been charged and were awaiting trial. During 1994 the King granted an amnesty to 59 political prisoners, including Deo Datta Sharma (see Amnesty International Report 1994). In May, seven Nepali-speaking southern Bhutanese charged under the National Security Act with treason and involvement in various "anti-national" activities were sentenced to between 10 years' and life imprisonment. The trial of 17 people from Sarbhang, Geylegphug District, who faced similar charges, started in July but had not concluded by the end of the year. Details of the proceedings in both cases were not known. A general improvement in detention conditions and the treatment of prisoners was reported. The International Committee of the Red Cross extended its visits to places of detention to include southern Bhutan. "Village volunteer groups" were reportedly responsible for possible extrajudicial executions in the south. In February members of one such group in Sarbhang, Geylegphug District, reportedly attacked seven Nepali-speaking robbers with knives. They killed three of them, apparently without attempting to arrest them. No disciplinary action was taken. Approximately 1,100 Nepali-speaking people from southern Bhutan arrived in the refugee camps in eastern Nepal. Many of them were believed to have been forcibly exiled from Bhutan. Bhutanese local government officials had taken various measures to make them leave, including forcing them to sign "voluntary migration forms" and destroying their homes (see Amnesty International Report 1994). In one case, the dungpa (local administrator) had told Nirmal Gurung that 32 families from his village in Samchi District had petitioned the government to "remove" him and his family. Nirmal Gurung was made to fill out a "voluntary migration form" and told to leave the country. The villagers then drew up a petition stating that they had not asked for the family to be removed; their alleged request had been concocted by the authorities. In June Nirmal Gurung's family was nevertheless told to leave and informed that their "voluntary migration form" could not be withdrawn. Nirmal Gurung was refused permission to appeal to the King. Three soldiers and the village headman then destroyed his home. Other villagers assisted under threat of eviction themselves. Nirmal Gurung and his relatives subsequently left for the refugee camps in Nepal. In August Amnesty International published a report, Bhutan: Forcible Exile, highlighting its concern that people forced into exile may be denied their right to return to their own country. Amnesty International continued to appeal for the immediate and unconditional release of Tek Nath Rizal and for all political prisoners to be promptly and fairly tried or released. Its request for the transcript and judgment of the trial of Tek Nath Rizal to be made public was refused by the government on the grounds that High Court rules "prohibit publication of ‘restricted documents'". Amnesty International also requested information about the estimated 4,000 "village volunteer groups" operating in southern Bhutan, and urged the government to ensure that all such groups observe basic human rights standards.