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Bulletin #22: Letter to Secretary Condoleezza Rice

(On February 5, 2005, dozens of pro-democracy activists in Kathmandu formed the Nepal Democracy Alliance and began circulating e-updates to inform the world about the crisis in Nepal following the imposition of military rule by King Gyanendra on February 1.)

The following is a suggested urgent action written by a member of the International Nepal Solidarity Network (INSN) working group:

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As you may know, the situation here in Nepal is grave. It is absolutely essential that the international community come together to call for the restoration of fundamental human rights and civil liberties. Please take a few minutes to send a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is about to depart on her first tour of the South Asian region on March 14th. We must use this opportunity to ask Rice to come out with a strong position on Nepal while in South Asia. You are welcome to use my letter below, or modify it to suit your own position. Please send your letter to the Secretary of State via the web by going to this website or to her postal address below.

Please send your letter AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so that we can make an impact before and during her Asia tour from March 14-21. Please circulate this message to as many US citizens as possible.

Thank you very much,

On behalf of the INSN

***

Honorable Dr. Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C St. NW Washington, DC 20520

Dear Secretary Rice,

I am writing to draw your attention to the grave situation in Nepal. In line with the Bush administration’s stated intention to spread freedom and democracy across the world, I request that you call for an immediate and unconditional return to democracy in Nepal, and make this a major issue on your upcoming South Asia tour.

Over 530 people have been detained in Nepal since February 1, including journalists, human rights defenders, political activists, students, and other civilians. Journalists are unable to report freely on the state of affairs, as they have been ordered to publish only official bulletins released by the government and security forces.

Members of the National Human Rights Commission, as well as many academics and activists, have been barred from traveling outside of the Kathmandu Valley, and therefore prevented from doing their jobs effectively. Over 200 people have died in conflict between the Maoists and the security forces since February 1, and human rights abuses by both sides are on the rise, such as the mob violence perpetrated by the security forces in Kapilvastu District and the ensuing Maoist retaliation.

King Gynanedra has asked the world for 100 days to demonstrate his ability to bring peace and democracy back to the country. 40 days are now gone, and the King has little to show for that time but a military crackdown on fundamental freedoms. The international community must call Gyanendra to task and insist that basic human rights are restored immediately.

I ask you, as the Secretary of State of the United States, to act as a beacon of freedom to show the Nepali people that the rest of the world is concerned about their situation. Please use your South Asia tour to raise these issues in your meetings in Delhi and elsewhere.

We must communicate firmly to King Gyanendra that authoritarian rule is not a solution to Nepal’s ills. Instead he must restore civil liberties, guarantee human rights, establish a multi-party interim government with the acquiescence of all major political parties, and begin the process of working towards a negotiated settlement of the current civil conflict.

Until these conditions are met, the US should follow India’s example and reconsider future military aid to Nepal. Under Gyanendra’s heavy-handed rule, our US tax dollars are currently being spent to mobilize the Royal Nepal Army against the very people who support democracy in Nepal—human rights activists, political activists, and journalists—instead of against the insurgents for whom it is intended.

How does this represent our policy to guarantee freedom and democracy in the rest of the world? As a concerned US citizen, I call upon the US government and our allies to take a strong position towards King Gyanendra by suspending military aid until the fundamental conditions outlined above are met.

Please refer to the following weblinks for further information and recommendations on the Nepal situation:

AlertNet Top 10 Forgotten Emergencies

International Crisis Group

Sincerely,

[Signature]

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.