Rights Groups Urge Nepal and Bhutan to Address Refugee Crisis; Bhutan Urged to Release Political Prisoners
The Hague, 22 September — Two Bhutanese rights groups have called on Nepal and Bhutan to resume talks on the long-running Bhutanese refugee crisis and also urged Bhutan to release all remaining political prisoners.
The Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) and the Bhutan Independent Peoples Forum (BIPF) appealed in a joint statement on Tuesday, as the prime ministers of Nepal and Bhutan attend the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is in New York from 22 to 28 September, while Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah is attending the General Assembly from 22 to 25 September. The groups said both leaders’ presence in New York provides an opportunity to address issues that have remained unresolved for more than three decades.
The groups called for renewed dialogue between Nepal and Bhutan to find a lasting solution for the Bhutanese refugees still living in Nepal. They said those who wish to return to Bhutan should be able to do so voluntarily, safely and with dignity, with proper arrangements for their return and reintegration.
More than 113,500 Bhutanese refugees were resettled in eight countries between 2007 and 2016 through a UNHCR-supported programme. Several thousand remain in Nepal after more than three decades away from Bhutan.
The joint statement also called for the unconditional release of all remaining Bhutanese political prisoners. Chatur Man Tamang and Hasta Bahadur Rai were released in June 2026 after the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention considered their cases. Human Rights Watch has said that 28 political prisoners remain in detention.
The groups also called for released prisoners to receive the necessary documents and practical support to rebuild their lives.
They urged Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah to raise the concerns of Bhutanese refugees in Nepal’s engagement with Bhutan, while calling on Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay to take concrete steps toward voluntary, safe, and dignified repatriation for those wishing to return, and to release the remaining political prisoners.
The appeal comes as Nepal and Bhutan engage on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The two organisations said the gathering should be used to make meaningful progress on both issues.
Ram Karki, founder and global coordinator of GCRPPB, based in The Hague, and DB Subba, general secretary of BIPF, based in Beldangi, Jhapa, signed the statement.