The king appoints and can dismiss judges, most of whom have little legal training. Several detainees and prisoners have reportedly died in custody in recent years as a result of poor conditions. In June 1999, Amnesty International reported that authorities had arrested approximately 150 suspected DNC members and sympathizers in 1998. In December, the government released 40 political prisoners. They included South Asia s best-known political prisoner, Tek Nath Rizal, whom authorities sentenced in November 1993 to life imprisonment under a broadly drawn National Security Act legislated three years after his imprisonment.
Authorities restrict freedom of expression.
Criticism of the king is not permitted, except indirectly during national assembly discussions. In June, the BBS introduced a television service, initially available only in Thimpu. Satellite television reception is illegal, although in practice it is generally tolerated. Freedom of assembly is nonexistent. In recent years security forces have arrested participants in peaceful pro-democracy demonstrations, mainly in eastern Bhutan and in the southwestern border town of Phuntsholing.