2001 Country Report

2000 Country Report 

2000 Annual Report for Religious Freedom: Bhutan     

1999 Country Report
Nima Gyaltsen, a prisoner detained since 1997 without charge or trial in Zilnon Namgyeling jail in Thimphu, died after being subjected to torture during his incarceration. Amnesty International reported that 19-year-old Needup Phuntso was expelled from school in March 1998 and was tortured by members of the Royal Bhutanese police after his arrest in Thimphu in July 1998 etc.

1998 Country Report
Human rights groups allege that Gomchen Karma, a Buddhist monk arrested in October 1997 during a peaceful demonstration in eastern Bhutan, was shot and killed by a government official etc.

1997 Country Report
Human rights groups allege that in July and August, the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) in and around Samdrup Jongkar town in the east arrested some 50 suspected supporters of a Bhutanese dissident group active outside the country. The Government states that only 16 persons were arrested during this period and that they have been charged with involvement in seditious activities and are awaiting trial. Many were said to be supporters of United Front for Democracy in Bhutan (UFD) leader Rongthong Kunley Dorji, who was arrested in India on April 18 following the issuance of an extradition request by Bhutanese authorities. etc..

1996 Country Report
The Goverment restricts freedom of assembly and association. Citizens may engage in peaceful assembly and association only for purposes approved by the Government. The Government regards parties organized by ethnic Nepalese exiles--the Bhutan People's Party (BPP), the Bhutan National Democratic Party (BNDP), and the Druk National Congress (DNC) as "terrorist and anti-national" organizations and has declared them illegal. These parties do not conduct activities inside the country. They seek the repatriation of refugees and democratic reform. etc..

Beginning in 1988, the Government expelled limited numbers of ethnic Nepalese through enforcement of a law that significantly tightened the requirements for citizenship. Until 1985 citizenship was conferred upon children if their father was a citizen under the 1958 Nationality Law. However, the 1985 Citizenship Act raised this standard by requiring that both parents be citizens to confer citizenship on their children. etc....

1994 Country Report
Citizens of Bhutan do not have the right to change their government. Bhutan is an absolute monarchy, with sovereign power vested in the King. The Government has resisted democratic changes. Decision making is centered in the Palace and involves only a small number of officials in the civil and  religious establishment. etc....

1993 Country Report
Ethnic Nepalese have been required to produce "No Objection Certificates" issued by the police for admission to schools and for jobs. For example, a November 6 advertisement in the national newspaper requires students seeking to enter a driving school to produce a "No Objection Certificate." Admission to a course for a postgraduate certificate in education requires a "No Objection Certificate." These certificates continue to be required despite claims by the Government that they would be abandoned. In fact, these certificates are used to prevent ethnic Nepalese citizens from taking jobs or educational slots in many districts of Bhutan. etc...