NHRC decries detention of political leaders

March 16, 2006
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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken the government to task for keeping political leaders and civil society representatives under prolonged detention.

Issuing a press statement after meeting CPN (UML) general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, who has been placed under house arrest at his Koteshwor residence for some time, and two detained Nepali Congress (NC) leaders – Ram Chandra Paudel and Narahari Acharya – on Thursday, the NHRC said, “The commission had on February 10 asked the government to release the UML general secretary and other detained leaders as political leader should be put under house arrest or detention in an arbitrary manner and without sufficient ground.”

It added, “The recent monitoring shows that basic human rights of the citizens as recommended by the commission have not been respected. The house arrest of UML general secretary Nepal and detention of other political leaders and civil society personalities is not appropriate.”

The rights body also asked the government to free all detained leaders and respect the Constitution of the Kingdom, rule of law and the rights guaranteed by the international accords on human rights.

The statement came after a high-level monitoring team led by NHRC chairman Nayan Bahadur Khatri, which comprised of members Sushila Singh Shilu, Sudeep Pathak, Gokul Pokhrel and Dr Ram Dayal Rakesh, met with UML general secretary Nepal and NC leaders Poudel and Acharya and take stock of their condition.