Kuensel News 

BHUTAN: Capital punishment abolished in Bhutan

His Majesty the King, in a kasho (royal decree) issued on March 20, the 30th day of the 2nd Bhutanese month, abolished capital punishment in the kingdom of Bhutan.

The historical decree is momentous, reflecting a profound blend of spiritualism and pragmatism. The implications of capital punishment, in Bhutanese law, is seen as a contradiction both from a religious and legal perspective.

Although capital punishment exists as a written law, it is not being invoked. And if the courts do award capital punishment, His Majesty the King has the legal authority to repeal it. Meanwhile, Bhutan being a Buddhist nation, capital punishment is seen as a contradiction to the basic doctrines of Buddhism.

These contradictions are seen as a negation of the written law, thereby, rendering it superfluous.

Capital punishment has existed in Bhutanese law since the codification of the Thrimzhung Chhenmo (supreme law) in 1953 and the judiciary has come under criticism, even in the National Assembly, for not invoking the law in the most severe criminal cases.

The royal decree has significant historical roots because generations of Bhutanese people have enjoyed peace and prosperity in a unique system of governance that has been founded on the tenets of Buddhism. It comes at a time when the kingdom of Bhutan is going through phenomenal change facing, what many believe, could be an unpredictable future and is, therefore, a message that Bhutan must continue to draw on the strengths of its ancient traditions and on the wisdom of the ancestors.

As the kingdom nurtures a unique socio-economic and political system, the decree implies that the essence of government must be the rule of law and that law must reflect the spirituality that characterises the Bhutanese system of governance.

The royal decree also symbolises the compassion and enlightened vision of a Buddhist Monarch safeguarding the interests of not just the population of one nation but of all sentient beings.

Kuensel web site

BHUTAN-DEATH-PENALTY  - Capital punishment abolished in Bhutan

Text of report by Kinley Dorji, carried in English by Bhutanese official newspaper Kuensel web site on 27 March His Majesty the King, in a kasho (royal decree) issued on 20 March, the 30th day of the second Bhutanese month, abolished capital punishment in the kingdom of Bhutan. The historical decree is momentous, reflecting a profound blend of spiritualism and pragmatism. 

The implications of capital punishment, in Bhutanese law, is seen as a contradiction both from a religious and legal perspective. Although capital punishment exists as a written law, it is not being invoked. And if the courts do award capital punishment, His Majesty the King has the legal authority to repeal it.

Meanwhile, Bhutan being a Buddhist nation, capital punishment is seen as a contradiction to the basic doctrines of Buddhism. These contradictions are seen as a negation of the written law, thereby, rendering it superfluous. 

Capital punishment has existed in Bhutanese law since the codification of the Thrimzhung Chhenmo (supreme law) in 1953 and the judiciary has come under criticism, even in the National Assembly, for not invoking the law in the most severe criminal cases. The royal decree has significant historical roots because generations of Bhutanese people have enjoyed peace and prosperity in a unique system of governance that has been founded on the tenets of Buddhism. It comes at a time when the kingdom of Bhutan is going through phenomenal change facing, what many believe, could be an unpredictable future and is, therefore, a message that Bhutan must continue to draw on the strengths of its ancient traditions and on the wisdom of the ancestors. 

As the kingdom nurtures a unique socioeconomic and political system, the decree implies that the essence of government must be the rule of law and that law must reflect the spirituality that characterizes the Bhutanese system of governance. The royal decree also symbolizes the compassion and enlightened vision of a Buddhist monarch safeguarding the interests of not just the population of one nation but of all sentient beings.