BHUMMATSS documents Bhutan’s struggle stories

Bhutanese Martyrs Memorial and Torture Survivors’ Society (BHUMMATSS) has officially launched the initiative to document the stories of those who died or tortured during the democratic struggle in Bhutan.

At a special ceremony held in Adelaide on June 3, graced by guests from several Australian organisations working with torture survivors, the documentation project was launched.

According to BHUMMATSS, all stories including those to come in future will be published on its web-based documentation project. The project documents stories of those Bhutanese whose family members were either killed, tortured or raped during the democratic struggle in Bhutan.

“With this small initiative, we are endeavouring to present and preserve the important part of history on struggle for human rights and democracy in Bhutan. Starting our project with first stories from Australia, we hope to expand and include as many stories as possible from among the Bhutanese Diaspora spread around the world,” said Indra Chhetri, chairperson of BHUMMATSS.

Guests from Amnesty International, Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Services (STTARS) and political parties stressed the need to acknowledge the sacrifice made towards realizing a democratic Bhutan.

BHUMMATSS is an inclusive, non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan society run by a dedicated body of volunteers in Adelaide and around the world. Its fundamental objective is to document the stories of Bhutanese Martyrs and Torture and Rape Survivors and acknowledge and celebrate their priceless contribution in the establishment of human rights, democracy and rule of law in Bhutan.

Initially, BHUMATTSS has published stories of five torture survivors. Follow this link to read their stories.