3 January, 2019
Around 30 activists and supporters of Amnesty International Nepal including Chair Bikram Dhukuchu were detained by the police today as they were preparing to conduct a peaceful demonstration near the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
The activists were preparing to march from the Dairy Development Corporation (DDC)’s office in Lainchaur to the Indian Embassy in Lazimpat to protest the Indian government’s crackdown on Amnesty India and other charity organisations.
The demonstration aimed to pile pressure on the G20 leaders, at the commence of its summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to stop the crushing of human rights works in India.
Amnesty Nepal’s activists were detained at Sorhakhutte Police Station for about two hours before being released. Amnesty International South Asia Regional Office based in Colombo, Sri Lanka had issued a newsflash calling for immediate and unconditional release of activists in Nepal.
It is alarming the way the Indian Government is carrying out its crackdown on charity organisations in India, resulting in paralysis of welfare organisations like Amnesty India and Greenpeace India after the recent raids. As a country recently elected to the UN Human Rights Council, India is witnessing the crushing of human rights works that goes against the very norms of the Council. It is disturbing knowing that the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, winner of the Seoul Peace Prize, is leading the attack on media houses and NGOs.