We are urgently seeking financial support for Mr. Ram Bahadur Rai, a 66-year-old former political prisoner from Bhutan who is now living in extreme vulnerability in the Beldangi refugee camp in Nepal.

Mr. Rai belongs to the Nepali-speaking community that was forcibly displaced from Bhutan in the early 1990s. In 1994, he courageously 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, commonly used to silence nonviolent political expression.

He was tried without a defense lawyer, convicted on fabricated charges, and sentenced to 31 years and 10 months in prison. During his nearly 32 years in Chemgang Central Prison, Mr. Rai endured severe torture, chronic malnutrition, lack of medical care, and inhumane living conditions. The abuse left him physically debilitated, hospitalized multiple times, and unable even to write his own appeal. For years, he had no contact with his family.

On July 5, 2024, after completing his full sentence, Mr. Rai was released and immediately expelled from Bhutan. He crossed into Nepal and arrived at the Beldangi refugee camp on July 7, 2024. Today, he 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 and ongoing health problems. He urgently needs medical examinations, treatment, medication, and follow-up care, but he cannot afford healthcare. Compounding this, he has not been re-registered as a refugee, leaving him without an identity card and excluded from local medical services and humanitarian aid.

The Global Campaign for the Release of Bhutanese Political Prisoners (GCRPPB) has long supported political prisoners and their families. Through this fundraiser, we are raising money to cover Mr. Rai’s immediate medical needs, including diagnosis, treatment, and essential follow-up care.

Your contribution, no matter the size, can make a real difference in his life. Please stand with him during this critical moment.