A Voice For the Voiceless

MISSION

The Advocacy Project seeks to help community-based advocates produce, disseminate and use information, and so become more effective advocates for human rights and social justice

Bulletin #11: Update from the NDD

(On February 5, 2005, dozens of pro-democracy activists in Kathmandu started circulating the following e-update to inform the world about the crisis in Nepal following the imposition of military rule by King Gyanendra on February 1, 2005. Please note that the Nepal Democracy Desk has been transformed into the Nepal Democracy Alliance as substantially more people have joined the campaign).

The King’s addresses his “subjects” on the occasion of the Democracy Day; A poet responds!

The king "addressed" the nation today on the occasion of the democracy day today, and lamented that politics in Nepal was being conducted "far from the common man". An anonymous poet's reflections circulated through e-mail today captures the irony of the king's speech:

‘Far from the Common Man’

Surrounded by military security,
All protest under the gun sights
Phone lines cut
Martial law in place,
Sri 5 maharajadhiraj himself steps along a red carpet, and
Speaking in the royal plural,
Announces to his subjects
That he was obliged to take over because
Politics was being conducted
“Far from the common man”

Pro-democracy demonstrations organized in different parts of Nepal; Arbitrary arrests of political leaders, students and human rights activists continue

Ram Kumari Jhankri, Central Committee Member of the CPN (UML)-affiliated All Nepal National Students Union (ANNFSU) was arrested by security personnel from the Kathmandu today during pro-democracy demonstration. She is a well-known and charismatic pro-democracy student leader, who was severely beaten by the police during the pro-democracy movement in April 2004.

The Royal Nepal Army had raided and ransacked her residence after the 1 February royal coup. Without immediate and high level intervention by the international community, it is highly likely that she will be subjected to physical and mental torture in custody!

Among others arrested from Kathmandu today include Hari Bhakta Adhikari, former MP (Nepali Congress), Ms. Meena Pandey, former MP and currently president of Nepal Women's Association, Pradeep Khadka, Vice President of Nepal Student's Union, and Keshav Poudel, student leader of Tribhuwan University. The names of over two dozens others arrested need to be confirmed.

Nar Bahadur Dhami, another Central Committee member of ANNFSU was arrested by security personnel today from Mahendarnagar, Kanchanpur in far west Nepal. His relatives informed the Nepal Democracy Desk, Delhi this evening. They fear that Dhami might be tortured or even "disappeared".

Our local human rights correspondents have informed that Basu Dev Bhatta, former parliamentarian (Nepali Congress Party) and Surendra Bista, a Central Committee member of the youth wing of Nepali Congress, Tarundal, were arrested today from Mahendranagar, Kanchanpur district in far west Nepal. They were arrested while they were on their way to a pre-planned peaceful pro-democracy demonstration in Mahendranagar.

Lawos Shrestha and Binod Shakya, democracy activists belonging to Nepal Student Union affiliated to Nepali Congress Party, were arrested from Patan Multiple Campus, Patan today.

The online editions of Nepali newspapers reported this evening that about a dozen Nepali Congress activists were arrested from Asan, Kathmandu during the pro-democracy protests. They also reported that 15 pro-democracy protestors were arrested today from Pokahara and nine more from Dipayal.

As the phone lines were cut throughout Nepal for most of the day, the number of arrests are likely to be underreported.

These fresh arrests were made to prevent pro-democracy demonstrations starting today, as announced by Nepali Congress, Jan Morcha and other parties of Nepal. Despite severe repression by the king and his army, demonstrations did take place in different towns, including in Mahendra Nagar, Pokhara, Dhangadhi, Dipayal and in several places in Kathmandu.

The security personnel brutally beat up pro-democracy Nepali Congress demonstrators in Bangemudha, Kathmandu. Gopal Subedi was severely injured. The Nepal Democracy Desk, Kathmandu/Delhi has video footage of the police brutality today.

The police had banned college students from entering the campus premises from early morning today.

Meanwhile, the security forces were deployed to prevent the Federation of Nepalese Journalists from organizing a protest rally in Kathmandu today.

Arrests on 17 February

Yesterday, four student leaders affiliated to the All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU), a sister organization of CPN (UML) were arrested from Shankardev Campus, Kathmandu. Their names could not be confirmed. Among those arrested was the president of the ANNFSU Shankardev Campus Unit.

Gauri Pradhan, a prominent human rights activist, and president of a child rights organization, CWIN, was arrested by the security forces at the Tribhuwan International Airport, Kathmandu at 1:30 pm of 17 February 2005. He had just arrived from an international meeting on child rights held in Geneva. He was reportedly taken to the Nepali Police Headquarters at Naxal, Kathmandu. Nepali human rights organizations and Amnesty International have demanded his immediate release.

Security personnel raided and ransacked the homes of human rights and student activists

The police raided the house of senior human rights activist and ex-minister, Dr. Mathura Shrestha, in the morning of 17 February. The police ransacked his house after they could not find him at home.

Around mid-night of 17 February, five security personnel in plain clothes raided the rented room of Keshav Singh, president of Nepal Student Union. They forcibly unlocked broke the door open, smashed the cupboard and took away important documents including his passport. After the raid, the security personnel threatened the landlord not to rent out his apartments to pro-democracy activists.

The house of one human rights activist (name withheld for security reason) in the western town of Dhangadhi was raided by the Royal Nepal Army on the night of the 16 February.

Phone lines cut-off again: King uses children for pro-royalist rally

Yet again, the king cut-off all the phone links and shut down the internet access within Nepal today from early morning till 4:15 pm. Ironically, this was done on the day, when the king and the Royal Nepal Army themselves are propping-up Democracy Day celebrations around the country!

This move is believed to have been made to prevent pro-democracy activists from coordinating plans for demonstrations, and to prevent arbitrary arrests being reported to the international media and human rights organizations.

Meanwhile, the king and the military staged a pro-king rally in Kathmandu today. According to estimates by eyewitnesses, over 80 percent of the participants in the rally were school children, and the majority of the remaining participants were civil servants and security personnel in plain clothes.

Authorities of some schools in Kathmandu reported to our Alliancemembers that the government had sent letters to them asking compulsory attendance in the rally by the teachers and students. It is to be noted that the international community has drawn attention to the use of children in conflict by the Maoists. This time, the king is using children in conflict too, and this also demands international scrutiny.

Campaigns stepped up for pro-democracy demonstration in Delhi on 19 February

Nepali democracy activists in Delhi stepped up their campaign for a pro-democracy and anti-king demonstration to be organized in front of the Nepali Embassy in Delhi tomorrow, 19 February. Nepali migrant organizations in India, affiliated to Nepali Congress (Nepali Jan Sampark Samiti), CPN -UML (Prabashi Nepali Sangh) and Jan Morcha (Mul Prabah Akhil Bharat Nepali Ekta Samaj) are the co-organizers of tomorrow's demonstration. Many other Nepali and Indian organizations and activists have expressed solidarity for the demonstration, by distributing pamphlets and inviting people to participate in tomorrow's event.

Amnesty International General Secretary asks India, UK and the US to suspend military aid to Nepal

The Secretary General of Amnesty International, Ms. Irene Khan held a press conference in Delhi yesterday, after her visit to Nepal. She warned that the royal takeover, if not rectified immediately will lead to a human rights catastrophe. She asked the governments of India, UK and the USA to suspend military aid to Nepal. Most of the Indian dailies in English and Hindi published Ms. Khan's views and findings with prominence.

Meanwhile, newspapers in India and elsewhere have reported that the US, UK and India are likely to suspend military aid to the Royal Nepal Army if the king does not roll back his decision to rule and reign as a despot. There are also reports that the some of the bilateral donors to Nepal are seriously considering suspending aid to the king's regime altogether until he brings democracy back on track.

Indian media continues to cover Nepal widely: Columnists and editorials mostly advocating a republican democracy in Nepal

The Indian print media in English and in Nepali have continued to give wide coverage to the Nepal issue. Overall, columnists, political commentators and analysts are advocating that the monarchy in Nepal has proved repeatedly that it cannot co-exist with democracy, it is a source of instability in Nepal and that Indians and Nepalis should start thinking of and planning for a post monarchical democratic republic of Nepal.

The largest selling Indian daily in English, the Times of India carried a front page article today making fun of the ironical Democracy Day celebration planned by the king. One Hindi daily carried a news item with the ironical title, "The Nepal King Will Lead the Democracy Day Celebrations"! The Nepal Democracy Alliance, Delhi, is preparing a brief report on the latest coverage on Nepal in the Indian print media, which will be included in the next bulletin. Also, the Nepal Democracy Alliance, Delhi is preparing a brief report on the series seminars and talk programs organized by the Indian and Nepali think-tanks in Delhi, which will be included in the bulletins next week.

INSN is the International Nepal Solidarity Network, which has activists in over a dozen countries around the world who are working to bring democracy to Nepal. Visit their website for regular updates related to the Nepal crisis.