Martin appeals the government to release detainees

March 20, 2006
2 MIN READ
A
A+
A-

The Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Ian Martin (File photo)
The Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Ian Martin, has urged the government to immediately release all the political detainees who have been detained illegally and restore the right to liberty and freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Martin made this appeal after his meeting with the ten persons including leaders of political parties, human rights activists and representatives of civil society detained in Kathmandu under the PSA for the past two months on Saturday.

A press statement issued by the OHCHR on Monday quoted Martin as saying, “I am dismayed that these arbitrary detentions are going into a third month, and appeal again to His Majesty’s Government to restore the right to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly to these individuals.”

“Following my visits to Brussels, Geneva and New York, I was able to inform the detainees of the deep and widespread concern of the international community regarding the renewed resort to arbitrary political imprisonment in Nepal,” he added.

Martin described such detentions as violation of Nepal’s own law and Constitution, as well as of Nepal’s binding international human rights obligations, adding, “Whenever the legality of such detentions has been challenged in a Nepalese court, it has found them to be without justification and therefore unlawful.”

Martin on Saturday met with General Secretary of CPN UML Madhav Kumar Nepal, Nara Hari Acharya and Ram Chandra Poudel of Nepali Congress (NC), Gopal Man Shrestha of NC (Democratic), Prem Suwal of Nepal Workers and Peasant’s Party, Hridayesh Tripathi of Nepal Sadbhawana Party (Anandi-devi), rights activist Krishna Pahadi, Devendra Raj Panday and Dr Mathura Shrestha of the civil society and journalist Shyam Shrestha.

Prem Suwal was released on Sunday following a Supreme Court order terming his detention as illegal.

They were arrested on January 19, one day before the planned mass meeting of seven party alliance.