KATHMANDU, March 31: The Global Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners in Bhutan (GCRPPB) has expressed deep concern over the forced deportation of ten Bhutanese refugees from the United States, which has once again rendered them stateless and created a humanitarian crisis. Originally expelled from Bhutan in the 1990s, these individuals were legally resettled in the U.S. under the UNHCR program. Despite this, they were forcibly removed and sent to Bhutan, arriving at Paro Airport on March 27, 2025.
However, Instead of fulfilling its commitment to resettle them after accepting their deportation, Bhutanese authorities expelled them to India, where they were left without legal status or support. Indian security forces then transferred them to the Nepal-India border at Panitanki. Three of them—Roshan Tamang, Asish Subedi, and Santosh Darji—were detained by Nepalese authorities upon reaching the Bhutanese refugee camp in Beldangi for entering Nepal without legal documents. Their fate remains uncertain, as they now face possible deportation to India. The whereabouts of the remaining seven remain unknown, raising serious concerns about their safety and well-being.
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This incident constitutes a grave violation of international refugee protections and the principle of non-refoulement. These individuals, once victims of Bhutan’s ethnic cleansing policies, are now being retraumatized and stripped of their rights once again, the GCRPPB said in a statement.
The GCRPPB condemns the coordinated actions of the Bhutanese and Indian authorities, which have placed these individuals in an unprecedented legal limbo. Their fundamental rights to asylum, protection, and legal status have been denied, exposing them to further risks of detention, abuse, and indefinite statelessness.
The GCRPPB has urged immediate action to address this crisis. It has called on the Government of Nepal to refrain from deporting the detained individuals back to India and instead coordinate with the US and Indian embassies in Kathmandu to press Bhutan to accept and resettle them. At the same time, it has also urged the Government of Bhutan to take full responsibility for these individuals by granting them legal status and ending discriminatory actions against them. It further said that the Governments of India and Nepal should provide legal clarity and temporary humanitarian protection while ensuring that these individuals have access to the UNHCR for necessary assistance.
Additionally, GCRPPB has demanded that the United States immediately halt the deportation of legally resettled Bhutanese refugees and allow them to face legal proceedings in the US if they have committed any violations of US law. It has further called the UNHCR and international human rights organizations to urgently intervene, investigate these violations, and provide humanitarian aid to protect these vulnerable individuals.
GCRPPB said it has already contacted major international bodies, including the European Union, the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, seeking immediate action. It has urged human rights and civil society leaders in Nepal to press the government to coordinate with the U.S. and Indian embassies to resolve this issue and prevent Bhutan from offloading its unwanted citizens onto Nepalese soil.