Financial Support Handed to Two Recently Released Bhutanese Political Prisoners at Beldangi
15 August 2026 | Beldangi, Nepal
Financial assistance raised through a Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) fundraising campaign was handed over to recently released former Bhutanese political prisoners Chatur Man Tamang and Hasta Bahadur Rai during a welcome ceremony at Beldangi Refugee Camp in Nepal.
The fundraising campaign, held in July 2026, received contributions from 33 donors and raised €1,492. After €51.80 in transaction costs and €20 for the transfer, €1,420.20 remained. A total of NPR 243,809.57 was received in Nepal and divided equally between the two beneficiaries. Each received NPR 121,904.79.
Beldangi Camp Secretary Sancha Hang Subba handed over the financial assistance during a ceremony attended by community members and well-wishers.
Former Camp Secretary and Camp Leader DB Subba, together with camp official Kabiraj Mongar, welcomed Tamang and Rai by presenting them with khadas. The traditional gesture expressed respect and goodwill and marked their return to the community after years of imprisonment.
Tamang was arrested on 17 February 2008 and Rai on 18 February 2008. Both were detained at Chamgang Central Jail until their release on 1 June 2026, after spending more than 18 years in prison.
Following their release, the two men returned to Beldangi with very limited resources and now face the difficult task of rebuilding their lives. The financial assistance will help them meet their immediate needs as they re-establish themselves in the camp.
Camp Secretary Sancha Hang Subba thanked the donors for their support and appealed for continued assistance to help Tamang and Rai meet their basic needs and build stable lives in Beldangi.
The ceremony was attended by senior Bhutanese refugee community members Ram Pradhan, Kabiraj Mongar, Ram Bahadur Rai and Krishnabir Tamang, along with other well-wishers.
GCRPPB Coordinator and former political prisoner Dil Kumar Rai, who moderated the ceremony, thanked all 33 donors and everyone who contributed to the fundraising campaign and its successful handover.
Tamang and Rai also thanked the donors and supporters. They said the assistance had encouraged them as they begin rebuilding their lives, and they expressed hope that the solidarity and support would continue as they work towards establishing secure and independent lives in the camp.
The handover marked an important new beginning for the two former political prisoners as they return to community life after nearly two decades in detention.
Formed in 2019 to campaign for the release of Bhutanese political prisoners, GCRPPB has consistently spoken out for the safe and early release of those still imprisoned. In the past, it has also organised fundraising campaigns to support previously released political prisoners and vulnerable families of political prisoners living in the refugee camps. Its advocacy has continued following the release of Rai and Tamang, who had been serving life sentences.
Twenty-eight political prisoners remain in prisons across Bhutan. GCRPPB has pledged to continue its advocacy until all of them are safely released.