H.Res. 1093

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

<DOC>

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.
<all>