One year of direct rule, no end to conflict

A group of local human rights activists in Nepal warned during a large gathering in the capital, Kathmandu, on Wednesday that the situation in the Himalayan kingdom could further deteriorate in the absence of a democratic government. “The human rights community [of Nepal] is deeply concerned that the country will be pushed towards a more violent war and we can expect more insecurity for civilians,” said rights activist Gopal Siwakoti. His comments came after King Gyanendra addressed the nation on state-run Nepal Television on Wednesday morning to mark one year of direct rule. The king sacked the democratic government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba on 1 February 2005 and has since ruled the country via the royal-appointed Council of Ministers. The monarch had vowed to curb the Maoist insurgents, who have been waging a decade-long armed rebellion against the state. But activists said that the royal takeover had made the situation worse and was pushing the country towards militarisation. A total of 1,370 Nepalese have been killed in 2005 alone due to the violent clashes between the security forces and Maoist militants, according to local rights organisation Insec. It added that the state was responsible for the death of 882 people. Another report by Human Rights Treaty Coordination Committee (HRTCC) said that due to the king’s rule, the past year has seen witnessed a further erosion of human rights with a growing number of arbitrary arrests, illegal detentions, extrajudicial killings and violations against ordinary civilians, mostly at the hands of the state authorities. The activists claimed that the king had failed to admit that security risks for civilians were growing. “All the Nepalese people have experienced the nation grow in confidence and [seen] the self-respect of the Nepalese people restored within a short span of one year, with the cloud of pessimism dissipating,” the king said in his televised statement. At the same time, many incidents of civilians being killed by the army and police in their clash with the rebels have remained underreported, rights groups claimed. On Tuesday, HRTCC made public their investigation into violence against civilians during the clash between the rebels and the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) on 22 January in the Phaparbari village of Makwanpur district, 120 km southeast of the capital. Three civilians were killed in the crossfire. The aerial bombing by an army helicopter killed a four-year-old child. An 82-year-old villager was reportedly shot dead by a soldier, despite the villager claiming he was not a Maoist. “Such human casualties and atrocities against civilians will increase in the absence of any political resolution,” said activist Kundan Aryal. Besides the rebels and the security forces, anti-Maoist vigilante groups are also putting many civilians at risk by engaging in armed action aimed at flushing out rebels from their villages. Human rights reports from the west of the country suggest that such vigilante groups are receiving training and arms from the security forces in order to take on political parties, which are opposing municipal polls, slated by the government for 8 February. The Maoists have threatened to attack candidates and their parties if they take part in the municipal elections. At least one candidate has been killed by the rebels.