King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck should use his authority to release political prisoners being held in poor conditions since decades through unfair trails in Bhutan, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said today. King Jigme will visit London to attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, 2023.
Bhutanese law defines those imprisoned for ‘offenses against the Tsa-Wa-Sum (king, country and people)’ as ‘political prisoners.’ Of the 37 known cases, the longest serving have been in prison since 1990 and many were sentenced to life without parole. Most are accused of opposing discriminatory policies and rights violations targeting Bhutan’s Nepali speaking community, which faced persecution in the 1990s.