A Voice For the Voiceless

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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

Human Rights Defenders Barred: 1/28/06

From Meeting with the CPN-UML General Secretary; Detainees in Armed Police Force (APF) Barracks

January 28, 2006 (11.45pm), Kathmandu
 
The security forces barred the human rights defenders (HRDs) to meet the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-UML) General Secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal at his residence, where he is kept under house arrest since January 19, 2006 stating that the human rights community and journalists are not allowed to see him from the higher authorities instruction.   While the duty officer Sudhir Subedi made contact with the Deputy Inspector General of Police (Valley In-charge) Dilip Kumar Shrestha, he received a order to restrict the HRDs to meet with Mr. Nepal .   The group of APF has taken in-charge of putting Nepal under house arrest.  The duty office also informed to the HRDs that they have given a order to allow only the National Human Rights Commission, International Committee of the Red Cross and Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. 
 
The HRDs has also learnt from anonymous source that the previous duty officer at the residence of Nepal has been detained by the security forces on the allegation of allowing the HRDs and diplomats to meet with Mr. Nepal .
 
The HRDs also made attempt to visit with the political prisoners at the APF Guheswari Barrack in Duwakot, Bhaktapur.   The Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Tandukar informed to the HRDs stating that he does have clear instruction from higher authorities (without specifying the authority) to restrict the HRDs and journalists to restrict from visiting the political prisoners held in APF Barrack.
 
However, the HRDs were allowed to meet with the political prisoners detained in two separate locations of the Nepal Police Academy in Maharajgunj and hold meeting with the political prisoners, including Nepali Congress leaders Ram Chandra Poudel, Narahari Acharya, Baldev Majagaiya, Omkar Shrestha, Tirth Ram Dangol, Laxman Ghimire and Shasanka Koirala, CPN-UML leaders Yogesh Bhattarai, Rup Narayan Shrestha and Rameshwar Phuyal, Nepal Congress (Democratic) leaders N. P. Saud, Shiva Chandra Mishra, Mahendra Yadav, Peoples' front leader Pari Thapa, Nepal Workers and Peasant Party leader Prem Suwal, Nepal sadbhavana Party (Ananadevi) leader Hridayash Tripathi, Civil Society leader Dr. Devendra Raj Pande and the HRDs Dr. Mathura Prasad Shrestha and Krishna Pahadi, and student leader Badri Pande.
 
The HRDs learnt that the political prisoners are restricted from communication facilities, including making telephone call with their families.   They are provided limited newspapers, which supports the regime, such as state-owned Gorkhapatra, Samacharpatra and Rajdhani.  Radio and Television are completely restricted.    The authorities have completely restricted the pro-democracy newspapers, particularly The Kathmandu Post and Kantipur dailies.  Although the political detained have received three months detention paper, they are not provided facilities guaranteed by the Prison Act, 1962 and its Act 1963, as well as the 1990 UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners.
 
The HRDs team was lead by the former member of the National Human Rights Commission Sushil Pyakurel.   Other members of the team include the INSEC Chairperson Subodh Raj Pyakurel, RRN Director Dr. Rishi Adhikari , Nepal Bar Association Member Tika Ram Bhattarai, INSEC General Secretary Kundan Aryal and Steering Committee member of the Defend Human Rights Movement Nepal Shobhakar Budhathoki.
 
 
Prepared by
 
Shobhakar Budhathoki
Steering Committee Member
Defend Human Rights Movement- Nepal
 

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