King Gyanendra (photo) has abandoned the rule of law and deepened the conflict in Nepal since assuming direct power and suspending almost all rights under a state of emergency, said the ICJ.
The ICJ begins a four-day high-level mission today to assess the impact of the state of emergency on the human rights situation.
Focus will be on allegations of human rights violations perpetrated against human rights defenders, civilians and student and political leaders in Kathmandu and in the districts and to discuss with the government avenues through which to they could address the deepening human rights crisis. The Mission is led by ICJ Secretary-General Nicholas Howen.
Nepal is in the midst of a human rights crisis, marked by enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, torture and secret detention and impunity of the security forces. The Maoists have engaged in a pattern of violations of international humanitarian law, including summary killings of non-combatants and recruitment of child soldiers.
While in Nepal, the mission team will meet with senior government and army officials, the National Human Rights Commission, leading members of the bar, non-governmental human rights organisations, human rights victims and the diplomatic community.
The ICJ today called on the Government to launch a prompt, impartial and thorough investigation into the killing of Tamil leader E. Kaushalyan and Amparai District parliamentarian Chandranehru Arianayagam.
The two men along with several colleagues were killed on 7 February 2005 in the Welikanda region in Sri Lanka. Persons found responsible for the killings must be brought to justice.
These killings mark a significant setback following a period in which Sri Lanka has seen a decrease in political killings since the tsunami in late December 2004.
In this instance one of those killed was a senior Tamil Tiger leader. However, in a meeting in October 2004 with S.P. Thamilselvan, leader of the LTTE’s political wing, the ICJ has called on the LTTE leadership itself to end political killings. The ICJ reaffirms that both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government should take measures to respect international human rights and humanitarian law.
The ICJ called for the immediate release of human rights defender Krishna Pahadi, arrested in Kathmandu. Krishna Pahadi is the founding chairman of the Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES).
The ICJ urges the King and Royal Nepalese Army to ensure the safety of the former President of the Nepal Bar Association (photo), who along with hundreds of political leaders has been detained by the security forces.
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