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Katmandu Protests: 12/10/05

Human Rights Day Demonstration

By the Collective Campaign for Peace

Katmandu, December 10, 2005: The 57th International Human Rights Day rallies in Nepal were marked by the arrest of nearly 100 demonstrators. The activists who were arrested were advocating for the establishment of a democracy and protesting government restrictions on their movement during the rallies. Currently, Nepal is ruled by the autocrat, King Gyanendra. He seized power in a coup in February of this year.

In order to limit the size of the demonstrations, the government created prohibitory zones that were off-limits to the protesters. On Saturday, the local administration deployed large numbers of security personnel to ensure that the government orders were obeyed.

At 2.30 p.m., a legion of protesters tried to enter Ratna Park, an area that had been identified as a prohibitory zone.

In response to this maneuver, the police intervened and began to make arrests. Security personnel charged at demonstrators and buffeted them with their batons. The police also aimed and fired water cannons at the protesters in an effort to halt the demonstration. The water from the spray damaged nearby shops and bookstores. Some demonstrators sustained minor injuries during the scuffle.

During the fray, protesters continued to chant slogans in contempt of the security measures.



Police disperse activists in a protest rally in the Bhotahiti district, Kathmandu, Saturday, Dec 10 05.

A coalition of human rights and professional organizations also staged a rally in Tripureshwor in the afternoon. The rally was converted in a mass meeting at Basantapur and later moved to Ratna Park to lend support to the protesters defying the government regulations on demonstrations.

Among the arrested, 62 persons were taken to the Ranibari Battalion of the Armed Police Force, 32 persons were taken to the Singhadarbar Ward Police Station and 2 persons were taken to the Kamal Pokhari ward police station.

Om Prakash Bishwakarma suffered a break to his arm during the fracas. He was transported to the hospital by COCAP human rights observers.

Even while in custody, the arrested demonstrators held corner meetings with other detainees. They also delivered speeches and recited satirical poems about the current human rights situation.

According to reports, all arrested activists were released by the evening

A list of arrested demonstrators follows:

   1. Bishnu Nisturi
   2. Krishna Padahi
   3. Arjun Parajuli
   4. Govinda Dotel
   5. Purna Basnet
   6. Suvash Darnal
   7. Bijay Guindel
   8. Manoj Naeupanae
   9. Bhaskar Gautam
  10. Chiranjavi Paudel
  11. Dr Devendra Raj Panday
  12. Bimal Aryal
  13. Jora Sing Kayasta
  14. Rupak Adhikari
  15. Bal Bhadra Magar
  16. Nirap Bogati
  17. Thakur Belbase
  18. Hari Ram Lawaju
  19. Anubhav Ajit
  20. Dr. Jagdish Chand Bhandari
  21. Ninu Chapagain
  22. Hari Karmacharya
  23. Mahesh Shrestha
  24. Gangadhar Adhikari
  25. Prakash Neupane
  26. Prem Kandel
  27. Gopal Prasad Aryal
  28. Achut Poudel
  29. Diwaker Pant
  30. Malla K. Sunder
  31. Kedhar Koirala
  32. Harigobinda Lueitel
  33. Rudra Kherel
  34. Indra Aryal
  35. Devendra Pathak
  36. Sundersan Sigdel
  37. Suman Malla
  38. Baburam Giri
  39. Bhagarva Dhital
  40. Prem Bohara
  41. Hom Kanta Chaulagain
  42. Kapil Dev Lamichane
  43. Gokul Prashain
  44. Kumar Ghimire
  45. Bashu Devkota
  46. Bijay Siwakoti
  47. Taranath Ghimire
  48. Khimlal Bhattrai
  49. Thakur Gairae
  50. Ram Prasa Khanal
  51. Kshitij Bhandari
  52. Dipak Raj Oli
  53. Hira Bahadur K.C
  54. Birendra Prasad Shah
  55. Dhananjaya Khanal
  56. Dr Arjun Karki
  57. Subodh Pyakurel
  58. Gauri Pradhan
  59. Sapana Pradhan Malla
  60. Sovakar Budathoki
  61. Joyti Ban
  62. Mukundha Ghimire
  63. Bimal Pokhrel
  64. Raj Kumar Rai
  65. Rajan Rai
  66. Ujjawal Kadariya
  67. Sunil Bhattarai
  68. Amrit Bhandari
  69. Ramesh Bishtha
  70. Prakash Humangain
  71. Basanta Guragain
  72. Chandra Mani Banjara
  73. Suman Kumar Shrestha
  74. Rajesh Nepali
  75. Padma Bishwakarma
  76. Rajendra Gautam Bishwakarma
  77. Man Bahadur Shripali
  78. Ram Bahadur Nepali
  79. Dinesh Bardewa
  80. Buddi Nepali
  81. Charan Prasain
  82. Ishwor Koirala
  83. Birandra Thapaliya
  84. Taranath Dahal
  85. Kapil Shrestha
  86. Raju Thapa
  87. Rameshwor Upadhyay
  88. Navin Prakash Janug Shaha
  89. Jiba Raj Pokhrel
  90. Krishna Pokhrel
  91. Shakti Lamshal
  92. Suman Kumar Shrestha
  93. Ananda Dev Bhatta
  94. Gopal Bishwakarma
  95. Shyam Shrestha
  96. Nanda Krishna Josi

COCAP Human Rights Monitoring Team