[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1093 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1093

Acknowledging oppression, forced eviction, and suffering experienced by 
tens of thousands of Bhutanese citizens during the late 1980s and early 
   1990s, and encouraging steps toward justice, reconciliation, and 
                             lasting peace.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 2, 2026

  Mr. Khanna (for himself and Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Acknowledging oppression, forced eviction, and suffering experienced by 
tens of thousands of Bhutanese citizens during the late 1980s and early 
   1990s, and encouraging steps toward justice, reconciliation, and 
                             lasting peace.

Whereas, during that time, more than 100,000 Nepali language-speaking Bhutanese 
        citizens, including Lhotshampas and Sharchops, were subjected to 
        oppression and forced displacement due to their identity, culture, 
        language, religion, and political dissent;
Whereas many of these individuals experienced unjust detention, torture, and 
        other forms of human rights abuses;
Whereas many political prisoners continue to be held in Bhutanese prisons for 
        protracted sentences;
Whereas persecuted Bhutanese were forced to cross into Nepal, where some 
        remained for nearly two decades in refugee camps;
Whereas thousands of Bhutanese refugees remain in refugee camps in Nepal, and 
        the Royal Government of Bhutan continues to deny dignified repatriation 
        to those who desire it;
Whereas more than 250,000 Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa Bhutanese still inside 
        Bhutan suffer political, social, and economic oppression as the Royal 
        Government of Bhutan has continuously refused to reinstate the 
        citizenships that were stripped during the 1990s;
Whereas such incidences of human rights violations and abuses and extreme acts 
        of violence perpetrated by any individual actor or state should be 
        condemned;
Whereas the majority of the Nepali-speaking Lhotshampa, who were refugees in 
        Nepal, have now resettled in other countries, including Australia, 
        Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the United 
        Kingdom, and the United States;
Whereas, although Bhutan and the United States have not established diplomatic 
        relations, the two countries maintain warm and productive unofficial 
        ties;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan transitioned to democracy in 2008 and has held 
        successive elections and transitions of power since that time;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has been a leader in the global fight against 
        climate change and is the only carbon negative country;
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan has stood with the United States and other like-
        minded countries as the United Nations to condemn Russian aggression in 
        Ukraine; and
Whereas the Kingdom of Bhutan is a close Indo-Pacific partner of the United 
        States committed to upholding the rules-based international order: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) declares that the Royal Government of Bhutan is 
        responsible for the political, cultural, and ethnic oppression 
        of Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas, Sharchops, and other minorities 
        in Bhutan during the late 1980s and 1990s;
            (2) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to conduct a rapid 
        and unconditional release of all political prisoners, whose 
        crime was demanding democracy and human rights, with due 
        restitution and reparations;
            (3) in a spirit of friendship, urges the Royal Government 
        of Bhutan to resume discussions with the Government of Nepal on 
        the status of individuals in Nepal who assert a claim to 
        Bhutanese citizenship or residency;
            (4) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan to restore 
        citizenship for all Nepali-speaking Lhotshampas that have had 
        it arbitrarily revoked;
            (5) requests the Royal Government of Bhutan to accept the 
        voluntary return of its citizens from the refugee camps in 
        Nepal; and
            (6) urges the Royal Government of Bhutan to enter into a 
        holistic peace building and reconciliation process and 
        institute an independent Truth Commission to publicly 
        investigate any human rights violations and abuses committed 
        during the 1990s, publish its findings, and follow through on 
        its recommendations to ensure no future displacement or 
        oppression of minority citizens in Bhutan.
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