Nepal: Police shoot protestors, twelve injured
Injured protestor in Kathmandu, 11 April 2006
© Human Rights Monitoring Team from the Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP)
Twelve people were seriously injured in Kathmandu (Nepal) on 11 April, when police fired upon protestors in two separate incidents. Ten people were shot when police fired on a crowd in Gongagbu, Kathmadu. A further two women were injured when police fired at a protestors in Pokhara City.
The South Asia Small Arms Network has issued a public letter condemning the armed violence from State officials. Click here to read the letter.
Five people were killed in clashes with state forces within ten days of the start of the general strike on 6 April, according to IHRICON, an IANSA member in Nepal. The general strike has been organised by the seven main political parties in Nepal, objecting to the absolute rule of King Gyanendra, who seized power on 1 February 2005.
Law enforcement officials are entrusted with great power, and must use their weapons responsibly, as outlined by existing international agreements: the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. Click here to read the IANSA position paper on appropriate use of small arms by state officials.
Nepal has been torn apart by a civil war between the government and insurgents. Over 12,000 people have been killed in the war between 1996 and 2005, according to the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) an IANSA member in Nepal.
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