Human Rights Watch welcomes Bhutan’s commitment to ratify the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and calls on the government to prove its intentions by ending ongoing abuses against those in government detention. At the same time, Bhutan sadly did not accept recommendations to ratify core human rights treaties including the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and the ICESCR (International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).
Human Rights Watch has documented cases of at least 32 political prisoners serving long sentences in dire conditions in Bhutan’s jails. They were allegedly tortured to extract confessions and did not receive fair trials. Bhutan did not support numerous recommendations relating to the rights of prisoners. Bhutan stated that the Working Group on Arbitrary detention had been allowed to visit prisons, most recently in 2019, but omitted to mention that the recommendations of its highly critical report have not been implemented. Bhutan also cited “a series of visits” by the ICRC, but failed to mention that these ended in 2012.
Human Rights Watch was disappointed that Bhutan failed to support recommendations related to the independence of civil society and freedom of expression. Recommendations on legalizing abortion, criminalizing marital rape, upholding citizenship rights, ending ethnic discrimination, recognizing the right to return of refugees, establishing an independent national human rights institution, and issuing a standing invitation to special procedures, were also only noted
The Kingdom of Bhutan has cultivated an image of practicing enlightened government in pursuit of Gross National Happiness, but its refusal to respect fundamental human rights – as demonstrated in this Universal Periodic Review – shows that the reality is often different. We hope that the UN human rights system and member states will continue to press Bhutan to match its progressive government rhetoric with an end to human rights violations.
