By Bishnu Luitel – Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Two rivers flow on either side of Punakha Dzong. On the left is the Mo Chhu, and on the right is the Pho Chhu. A little downstream from Punakha Dzong, these two rivers merge into one, forming what is called the Puna Tsang Chhu. Flowing from Punakha, the Puna Tsang Chhu moves about 20–25 kilometers southward, passing through Wangdue Phodrang District and continuing further south. 

The Dang Chhu, flowing from the north, merges into the Puna Tsang Chhu. The Puna Tsang Chhu continues to flow southward. On the left bank of the Dang Chhu lies Wangdue Dzong. A little north of Wangdue Dzong is the Trongsa Road. Below this road is the Wangdue Market, locally known as Gangthang. Further below are the Wangdue High School and the Army Hospital, located in a place called Bajothang. 

Below Bajothang, at the base of a steep cliff, lies a flat area where army housing is located. In this secluded area, invisible from any vantage point, the Rabuna Prison has been constructed. It falls within the Fayuel block of Wangdue Phodrang District. Crossing the Dang Chhu river next to Rabuna Prison leads to the Nija Gang block.

At the base of the Nija Gang block, about half a kilometer upstream from the Dang Chhu river, the Rabuna Prison can be seen from the edge of the Trongsa Road, looking down toward the rocky cliff below. From the edge of the road, the prison’s outer gate and entire building are visible. However, stopping at the roadside and looking down is strictly prohibited. This area is considered a restricted zone where movement is not allowed. 

If someone accidentally looks down toward Rabuna from the edge, it is said that soldiers below sound a whistle as a warning. If anyone persists despite the warning, they are apprehended by the army. 

This prison is under the control of the Bhutanese king, the Wangdue Phodrang military command, and an officer from the Royal Bhutan Bodyguard. Many innocent eastern Bhutanese and Lhotshampas are said to have lost their lives here, and such occurrences continue to this day.

Rabuna is one of Bhutan’s most brutal prisons, whose exact location and the details of the ruthless torture conducted there are known only to the Bhutanese King, the Minister of Home Affairs, and a few senior army officials. According to sources, this prison primarily holds army personnel, police officers, and individuals convicted under Bhutan’s one-sided judicial system, serving life sentences or accused of treason and rebellion against the state. These prisoners are subjected to extreme torture. 

Rabuna Prison has two iron gates. The first gate leads into the prison compound. Beyond this, entering through the second iron gate takes you to a small courtyard surrounded by the prison building, from where the doors to the cells are visible. 

The prison contains a total of 22 cells. All the cells are completely closed and dark. Each cell has iron-barred windows measuring 4 to 6 inches, presumably for light and ventilation. However, cell number 4 has a slightly larger window measuring 14 by 8 inches, which is where Tek Nath Rizal was once confined. This cell has an attached toilet, and prisoners kept here are never able to see or meet other inmates. 

In contrast, the other cells do not have toilets, and inmates must use the ones outside, which sometimes allows them to catch a glimpse of fellow prisoners. 

The section of Rabuna Prison facing the Dang Chhu river is a two-story building, while the other three sides are single-story structures. The second floor houses the army personnel assigned to duty at the prison.

In Bhutan, there is no clear and transparent legal system. Even in the 21st century, the country operates under the unwritten oral decrees of the King. The justice system is entirely barren, with not a single advocate for justice present. Accused individuals are subjected to various physical and mental tortures to force confessions, which then become the decisive factor in determining whether they will regain their freedom or rot in prison. 

Judge appointed by the King merely read out verdicts dictated by the monarchy, declaring guilt or innocence as per royal directives. There is no provision for arguments in defense of the accused. The decisions read by government lawyers lack any system of legal debate between opposing sides. 

If any citizen dares to express dissatisfaction with the actions of the King or ministers, or voices disagreement, they are labeled as traitors, rebels, or enemies of the people. Such individuals are charged with offenses against the *Chhawasum* (the King, the country, and the people) and are thrown into prison. 

A glaring example of this is Bhutanese human rights activist Tek Nath Rizal. In 1988, Rizal submitted a polite petition stating that the census process had caused widespread fear among the people and requesting reforms. For this reason alone, the Bhutanese King declared him guilty of treason and subjected him to prolonged imprisonment and extreme torture. 

It is easy to imagine what might have happened to Rizal if the international community had not pressured Bhutan on his behalf. Rizal’s name was widely known among Bhutanese people. However, there are countless other innocent Bhutanese, unknown and unheard of, who are still languishing in Rabuna Prison, awaiting their final moments in despair. 

For this reason, it is essential for international stakeholders to pay attention to prisons like Rabuna, hidden in remote corners of Bhutan, built to persecute and kill citizens in secrecy.

The Rabuna Prison, hidden from the international community’s gaze, stands as a modern-day example of a cruel and tyrannical “gas chamber” reminiscent of a petty Hitler. In this prison, Bhutan continues to practice inhumane acts: subjecting prisoners to prolonged extreme torture, ultimately ending their lives, and ensuring that even their dead bodies are never seen or reported. How long the Bhutanese King will continue to perpetuate such crimes is a matter only they can answer. 

This article has made every effort to pinpoint the location of Rabuna Prison. Its purpose is to draw the attention of human rights organizations worldwide, such as the United Nations, the International Red Cross Society, and Amnesty International, so that they may identify its exact location and investigate the conditions within.

No matter how serious a person’s crime—whether deserving of the death penalty or life imprisonment—it is the responsibility of international organizations to ensure their human rights. Prisoners in Rabuna, guilty or not, must at least be granted the right to accept their death in a manner free from torture and with dignity. The primary intent of this article is not to support or oppose the death penalty but to challenge the cruel execution practices devised by a tyrannical regime and advocate for humane treatment of prisoners, both in life and death. 

Does Bhutan have a system capable of interpreting the law fairly? That is the Bhutanese government’s responsibility to address. However, it is crucial for the international community to take notice and intervene to stop such inhumane practices. 

In Bhutan, the life of a prisoner can only be spared if the King personally grants clemency. Without such a decree, prisoners are subjected to prolonged suffering—days or even years of torment—before being killed. They endure unimaginable pain, with their bones broken, skin torn, and ultimately their last breath taken in the most agonizing ways. 

Rabuna Prison has become a slaughterhouse where political prisoners and ordinary inmates alike are said to be brutally killed. It is imperative that the global community recognizes and acts to put an end to this gross violation of human rights.

In 1989, Tek Nath Rizal, a prisoner of conscience abducted from Birtamod, Nepal, along with Jogen Gazmere and Sushil Pokhrel, endured extreme torture in Rabuna Prison. Tek Nath Rizal has detailed these harrowing experiences in his book. If it had not been for international pressure, the Bhutanese King might have had their lives ended in Rabuna itself. However, the immense international outcry forced Bhutan to release Tek Nath Rizal and a few other political prisoners, saving their lives. The decisive role of the international community in this was undeniable. 

Even today, dozens of political prisoners are forced to endure severe torture and inhumane conditions in Rabuna Prison. Where these prisoners came from, how they fell into the grip of Bhutan’s regime, or when they were captured remains unknown to the outside world. Nor can anyone ascertain how many individuals are awaiting their deaths within the prison walls. 

For this reason, the realities inside Rabuna Prison—the number of prisoners, the nature of the charges against them, and the conditions they face—must become a subject of investigation by the international community.

Human rights organizations like Amnesty International, the International Red Cross Society, and Human Rights Watch must increase their monitoring efforts. Without such oversight, it will remain impossible to know who is being killed, where, and when in Bhutan’s prisons. 

The most disheartening aspect is that the Bhutan Red Cross Society was only established in 2018. Since its inception, the organization has been chaired by Bhutan’s Queen, Jetsun Pema. Despite holding such a prestigious position in a humanitarian organization, there is no evidence of her playing an active role in protecting the lives of prisoners. She has shown no opposition to the regime’s oppressive practice of subjecting prisoners to unnecessary torture. Under the Queen’s leadership, the Bhutan Red Cross Society has become a symbol of disgrace and misuse rather than a beacon of humanity. 

Furthermore, apart from Rabuna Prison, Bhutan has another horrifyingly dangerous prison called Dobji. This prison is another symbol of Bhutanese cruelty, where citizens are forced to endure inhumane deaths. 

It is essential for the international community to take active measures to uncover the realities of these prisons and to end Bhutan’s tyranny, cruelty, and undeclared death penalties. 

Not only that, in Bhutan, there is another prison more dangerous and chillingly notorious than Rabuna Jail, called Dobji. The Paro Chhu and Thimphu Chhu rivers from the north converge to form the Wang Chhu. About five kilometers south of the Phuentsholing-Thimphu road, where the roads to Paro and Haa diverge, lies a hillock or knoll by the Wang Chhu riverbank. On this knoll, by the river, is the Dobji Jail. 

Dobji Jail is located in a remote cliff and dense forest, symbolizing the brutality of Bhutanese rule. It is a place where citizens are subjected to inhumane treatment, often forced to die under cruel conditions. 

To bring the realities of these prisons to light and to end Bhutan’s dictatorship’s cruelty and undeclared death sentences, the active involvement of the international community is essential. 

Additionally, all the information and some photographs included in this article were obtained from within Bhutan. Therefore, to protect the sources, they have not been disclosed in this article, for which I apologize.

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