Human rights groups and the political parties including the CPN (Maoist) have flayed the arrest of leading civil society activists from their peaceful sit-in programme in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar Monday afternoon.
The CPN (UML), a key ally of the coalition cabinet, in a statement condemned the arrest of some 63 civil society leaders and asked the government to immediately release the arrested persons.
Likewise, Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara said his party was 'angered' by the mistreatment and arrest of the civil society leaders, who were carrying out sit-in protest peacefully, demanding immediate promulgation of the interim constitution for timely election to constituent assembly.
"Our party strongly denounces such mistreatment and arrest of senior civil society leaders and demands their immediately release," Mahara's statement said, adding, "The government's attempt to silence the voices of the civil society has not only worried those advocating for democracy, peace and progress but it has also made the anti-constituent assembly elements happy."
The Maoist party also urged the government to gear up for promulgation of the interim constitution rather than engaging in such activities.
The Joint Forum for Human Rights and Peace (JFHRP) said the government action in the peaceful sit-in of civil society leaders have reminded of the brutality of erstwhile royal regime. A JFHRP press statement signed by 22 leading rights activists including Dam Nath Dhungana, Padma Ratna Tuladhar, Sindhunath Pyakurel, Gopal Sibakoti 'Chintan' Malla K Sundar and Dr Purna Kanta Adhikari asked the government to immediately release the arrested activists.
Likewise, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said the arrest of the civil society leaders mocked the democratic norms and the spirit of the people's movement in April 2006.
The Citizens Movement for Democracy and Peace, Unity Centre (Masal), Progressive Writers' Association and Rural Rehabilitation Organisation also flayed the arrest of civil society activists and called for their immediately release.
Police arrested 63 civil society leaders including Dr Devendra Raj Pandey, Shyam Shrestha, Dr Sundarmani Dixit, Mahesh Maskey, FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri and Khagendra Sangraula from outside the PM's residence at around 11:00 am as soon as they started their sit-in.
Meanwhile, the arrested civil society activists who have been kept at the No. 2 Battalion of the Armed Police Force (APF) at Maharajgunj have said they would continue sit-in at the detention centre unless the Home Minister apologised for the police action in the peaceful demonstration.
"We have always been carrying out pressure campaigns and our movement will go on," Dr Pandey told media persons at the APF custody. nepalnews.com mk Jan 01 07
No comments:
Post a Comment