What
is becoming alarmingly clear is how thin the democratic veneer and the
institution of a free press and peoples right to know is in Nepal .
DOCUMENT
AMNESTY
INTERNATIONAL`S APPEAL FOR ARRESTED NEPALI EDITOR
Yubaraj
Ghimirey, Binod Raj Gyawali and Kailash Sirohiya, the editor-in-chief, director
and managing director of the main Nepali newspaper Kantipur, have been arrested
solely for exercising their right to freedom of statement. Amnesty
International considers them prisoners of conscience and is calling for their
immediate and unconditional release.
Plainclothes
policemen arrested the three men from Kantipur`s offices
around 6pm (local time) on 6 June. They were brought to the Hanuman Dhoka
police station in the capital, Kathmandu, in an unmarked vehicle. They have
reportedly been charged with formenting hatred, malice or contempt towards
the King under the Anti-State Crime and Punishment Act of 1989, which
carries a maximum punishment of three years.
The
arrests appear to be connected to Kantipur`s publication on 6 June of an
article by Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of
Nepal (CPN) (Maoist). In the article Dr. Baburam Bhattarai reportedly urges the
Nepalese people not to recognize the new King, and blames India for masterminding
the killings of members of the Nepalese royal family. He claims that the entire
incident was part of "a grand design of the Indian expansionist forces who
had grown impatient with King Birendra for showing softness toward the Maoist
movement."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The
situation in Nepal remains tense following the recent killings of members of
the royal family. The military has imposed a series of curfews amidst
widespread rioting. The international media have reported that at least three
people have been killed after the police or army fired into crowds of
demonstrators. The exact number of casualties has not yet been verified, and
some sources have put the death toll at seven. It has also been reported that
around 300 people have been arrested for breaking the curfew. Amnesty
International is concerned that widespread human rights violations may take
place in the current climate, and is monitoring the situation closely.
King
Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, the Queen and eight other members of the
royal family were killed on 1 June. The son of King Birendra, Dipendra, who
was seriously wounded, was declared King on 2 June and Prince Gyanendra,
brother of King Birendra, was appointed regent. After King Dipendra died in
hospital on 4 June, Gyanendra was declared the new King. At first, it was
reported that Dipendra had shot his family before turning the gun on himself
following a family dispute over his choice of bride. However, 2 June the then
regent and current King said that the killing was an accident that happened
when an automatic weapon misfired.
The killing of so many members of the royal family has
thrown Nepal, which
has been a parliamentary democracy with a constitutional monarchy since
1990, into turmoil. People are reportedly suspicious of the official versions
of events. On 4 June, a curfew was imposed after demonstrators protested
against the newly-appointed King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev and his son
Paras Shah, and demanded to know the truth about the killings. Further curfews
were imposed on 5 June (midday to midnight) and on 6 June (9pm to 3am).