As of 2019, Bhutan reportedly had no immigration detention centres and few cases of people being placed in detention for immigration-related reasons. On 23 March, it was made mandatory for all persons travelling into Bhutan to undergo a period of quarantine to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. There have been reports of people being sent to prison for “clandestine entry and false declaration of travel history” in order to evade mandatory quarantine. As of 1 September 2020, there had been 225 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country.
- Global Detention Project, “Bhutan Immigration Detention Data Profile,” https://www.globaldetentionproject.org/countries/asia-pacific/bhutan
- Channel News Asia, “Bhutan to Gradually Lift COVID-19 Lockdown,” Channel News Asia, 1 September 2020, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/bhutan-to-gradually-lift-covid-19-lockdown-13073040
- S. Ongmo and T. Parikh, “What Explains Bhutan’s Success Battling COVID-19?” The Diplomat, 8 May 2020, https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/what-explains-bhutans-success-battling-covid-19/
- R. Wangchuk, “From Quarantine to Prison,” Kuensel Online, 24 July 2020, https://kuenselonline.com/from-quarantine-to-prison/
