Mar 1, 2005
Nepal is in the midst of a dire human rights and rule of law crisis that requires urgent action by the authorities in Nepal and the international community.
By assuming direct power on 1 February 2005, suspending almost all rights in a new state of emergency and removing most of the last democratic checks and balances on the Army, King Gyanendra has effectively decreed an end to the rule of law in Nepal. The King’s far-reaching action has added a new layer
of human rights violations to the existing patterns of gross and systematic violations suffered by the Nepali people at the hands of both the government security forces and the Maoist insurgents.
Nepal-rule of law abandoned-analysis brief-2005-eng (full text in English, PDF)
Feb 10, 2005 | News
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.
Feb 10, 2005 | News
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).
Feb 4, 2005 | News
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.
Feb 1, 2005 | News
King Gyanendra of Nepal today dismissed the Government, assumed direct power, and declared a nation-wide state of emergency.
