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Nepal Government Imposes Protest Ban Across Kathmandu

The Nepal government has imposed a sweeping curfew across the capital on Tuesday and arrested over fifty prominent political activists and human rights defenders early Thursday morning in an effort to halt a mass protest scheduled on January 20. The resurgence of violence by Maoists in the Kathmandu valley and the subsequent ban by the government on protests poses the greatest threat to Nepal since the King’s coup in February of last year.

The following is a communiqué from the Defend Human Rights Movement- Nepal, a coalition of 25 human rights groups from Kathmandu on Tuesday, January 17 in response to a ban by King Gyandendra on holding demonstrations in the capital.

Press Statement

By Defend Human Rights - Nepal

January 17, 2006, Kathmandu: We condemn the prohibition of mass assembly, rallies and sit-in programs inside the ring road area in Kathmandu issued through the District Administration Office Kathmandu and Lalitpur on 16 January 2006.

Similarly, we denounce the arrest of leaders and cadres of political parties including Narahari Acharya, Tirthram Dangol, N.P. Saud, Yogesh Bhattarai, Rup Narayan Shrestha, while they were taking part in peaceful processions in Kathmandu on January 17, 2006. We strongly demand the immediate release of all detained leaders and cadres of political parties.

The prohibition order issued was solely aimed at disrupting the planned peaceful protest organized by the seven political parties on January 20, 2006 in Kathmandu, and the order violates the freedom of peaceful assembly ensured by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights- 1948 and the Covenant of Civil and Political Rights- 1966, to which Nepal is a state party.

This act further indicates the regime's authoritarian character that intends to institutionalize the autocratic regime by infringing the ordinary people's right to participate in the ongoing movement to establish democracy. We are also convinced that the imposed curfew, without justification, creates obstacles to the freedom of movement of ordinary people.

We strongly protest the arbitrary actions of the state, which violates the universally accepted democratic rights of the people and is an attempt to sabotage the growing democratic movement in the country.

On behalf of

National Coalition of Human Rights Defenders

Subodh Raj Pyakurel

Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti

Shobhakar Budhathoki

Gauri Pradhan

Shanta Lal Mulmi

Ganga Kasajoo