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

'Black Day' for Pro-Democracy Demonstrators in Nepal: 2/01/06

By the Collective Campaign for Peace

Kathmandu, Nepal, Feb 1, 2006: Thousands of pro-democracy activists and journalists demonstrated in various parts of Kathmandu today (February 1), calling the one-year anniversary of the Royal coup a 'Black Day' for Nepal. Hundreds of riot police used repressive tactics to suppress the demonstrators. Clashes between demonstrators and police began in the afternoon and continued until the evening. Police groups drove back thousands of activists who in the Basantapur area as they headed towards the prohibited New Road district.

Police hit protestors with water cannons and made dozens of arrests. Many were hit on sensitive areas of the body, such as the head and stomach. Groups of human rights defenders also scuffled with police. One of the demonstrators was seriously injured when a police inspector struck his stomach with spray from a water cannon. Fellow demonstrators and COCAP human rights observers immediately took the protestor to the nearby Bir Hospital. An HR observer at the scene said: " I tried to ask his name while he was crying. It looked painful. He could not reply back as he was about to faint.”

In the New Road area, security personnel beat one of the protesting journalists, Suman Malla, editor of the Pahad weekly, inside the police van even after he had him under full control. Human rights monitoring team members of COCAP intervened to protect the journalist from further beatings. Photojournalists who were documenting the scene were also threatened and attacked. Journalists and members of the COCAP HR monitoring team rescued one police inspector while he was being mobbed by angry demonstrators.

Gopal Siwakoti and BP Adhikari from HimRights, Sahayek BK, Anil Panday, Prakash Pariyar affiliated to COCAP and Dhan Bahadur Ayer from Human Rights Alliance were deliberately targeted by water cannons. Likewise, Human Rights (HR) observers from OHCHR Marline, Ben and Lok Sangroula, were struck down as a result of water cannons. All of them were monitoring the situation with their visible identifies as HR observers. One of the HR observers present during the incident said that the DSP of police Rajendra Shrestha later apologized before human rights activists for using the cannons.

In the Botahiti district, demonstrating journalists and COCAP monitor Sushil Baral rescued injured journalists Ramesh Bista and Kamal Rawal. During the scuffle, a student named Bijay Sivakoti, sustained injuries to the head.

In his address to the nation today on the year anniversary of his active rule, King Gyanendra spoke about the values of democracy, peace and human rights. The actions and repression by security personnel against pro-democracy activists and citizens uncover the inherent contradiction of his commitments and regime. He continues to violate the rights of free expression and speech, and the rights of free movement and peaceful assembly in Nepal.

List of protesters arrested in the New Road area:

1. Bharat Mohan Adhakari
2. Mahanta Thakur
3. Raghu Panta
4. Bidur Mainali
5. Bishnu Bahadur Manandhar
6. Lok Ram Chettri
7. Kamal Paudel
8. Man Bahadur Lama
9. Birodh Kahtiwada
10. Raghunath Khulal
11. Rajya Laxmi Shrestha
12. Janu Ghimire
13. Kamala Thapa
14. Bhatar Bhatta
15. Shanta Pradhan
16. Prakash Barakoti
17. Bijul Bishwakarma
18. Nanda Krishna Joshi
19. Ramesh Jung Sijapati
20. Santosh Panday
21. Bikram Bandhu Panday
22. Lalsen Lama
23. Thakur Singh Nemwang
24. Kamal Yadav
25. Tapta Singh Karki
26. Krishna Humangain
27. Bishnukanta Ghimire
28. Birendra RaiArun Rai
29. Bedh Nidhi Adikari
30. Chayan Devi Parajuli
31. Raja Ram Puda Saini
32. Charan Prasain - Human Rights Activist
33. Suman Malla - Journalist

Journalists arrested in the Bhotahity area

1. Ramesh Bistaha
2. Mahendra Panday
3. Bharat Bhatta
4. Kanak Mani Dixit
5. Harihar Birahi
6. Bishnu Nisthuri
7. Amar Dhakal
8. Rishi Dhamala
9. Gangadhar Parajuli
10. Balaram Baniya
11. Hemanta Kafle
12. Surya Thapa
13. Binod Pahadi
14. Ramji Dahal
15. Kishor Shrestha
16. Sanjay Santosh Rai
17. Nanda Rishi Naupane
18. Rupak Adhikari
19. Roshan Karki
20. Tirtha Neupane
21. Narendra Saud
22. Bishal Nepal
23. Yadav Devakota
24. Bharat Pokhrel
25. Dinesh Karki
26. Lila Ghimire
27. Amar Nath Dhakal
28. Lava Dhungana
29. Ujir Magar
30. Rojan Rai
31. Kedar Koirala
32. Krishna Dhungana
33. Gopal Khanal
34. Sarala Gautam
35. Ramesh KC

- On behalf of the COCAP Human Rights monitoring team