𝐆𝐂𝐑𝐏𝐏𝐁 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐁𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐢

𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐢, 𝐉𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐚 — A total of NPR 1,15,844.68 (One Lakh Fifteen Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-Four Rupees and Sixty-Eight Paisa) raised through a public fundraising campaign was handed over yesterday to support Mr Ram Bahadur Rai, a 66-year-old former political prisoner from Bhutan, who is living in extreme hardship at the Beldangi refugee camp. The campaign, launched on 13 January 2026 by the Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB), concluded on 15 February 2026.

Beldangi Camp Secretary Sanchahang Subba formally handed over the funds during a small event at Mr Rai’s hut. The programme was attended, among others, by former political prisoners Madhukar Mongar and Dil Kumar Rai, Mrs Dambar Kumari Adhikari, mother of Chamgang-based political prisoner Omnath Adhikari, and veteran Kathmandu journalist Devendra Bhattarai.

On behalf of GCRPPB, its founder, Ram Karki, expressed heartfelt gratitude to his team and extended special thanks to all donors for their generosity and solidarity. He also expressed his hope that such humanitarian support would continue to come when needed to assist vulnerable former political prisoners and other urgent causes. The donors include Bhima Bajgai, Peter Tamang, Mamta Bajgain, Vijay Bhujel, Gaurav Chhetri, Ariette Prince, Gopal Gurung, Alice Verheij, IB Pathak, Kanchan Pokhrel, Dhan Poudel, Astha Khanal, Bhanu Khanal, Vidhyapati Mishra, Tula Bhandari, Leela Acharya, and Sailesh Dahal.

The fundraising initiative forms part of GCRPPB’s ongoing work. In the past, the organisation has undertaken similar campaigns to support the families of political prisoners and recently released political prisoners and those sick among them, alongside its major advocacy work for the release of Bhutanese political prisoners.

Mr Rai belongs to the Nepali-speaking community forcibly displaced from Bhutan in the early 1990s. In 1994, he returned to Bhutan to peacefully advocate for the right of displaced citizens to return home. While distributing political leaflets, he was arrested under Bhutan’s National Security Act, a law often used to suppress nonviolent political expression. He was tried without legal representation, convicted on fabricated charges, and sentenced to 31 years and 10 months in prison.

During nearly 32 years of incarceration at Chamgang Central Prison, Mr Rai endured severe torture, chronic malnutrition, denial of medical care, and inhumane living conditions, leaving lasting effects on his health. He was denied contact with his family for many years. Following his release on 5 July 2024, he was immediately expelled from Bhutan. He arrived at the Beldangi refugee camp on 7 July 2024, where he now lives alone in a small hut without family support, income, or legal documentation.

Decades of imprisonment and untreated illness have left Mr Rai with serious health complications. He urgently requires medical examinations, treatment, medication, and follow-up care. Without refugee registration or an identity card, he remains excluded from local health services and humanitarian assistance.

Organisers have appealed to the public, human rights organisations, and concerned individuals to continue supporting Mr Ram Bahadur Rai during this critical phase of his life.