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UN Human Rights Office Calls For Restraint
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
On December 21, 2009, the United Nations human rights office has called for restraint, after some seriously injured when police forcefully removed protesters on the planned route of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal returning to the official residence from the airport on the first day of the three-day shutdown called by the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-Maoist). The UN Human Rights Office has shown concern over the violence at New Baneshwor in Kathmandu, where, after a calm morning, OHCHR-Nepal monitors saw the situation deteriorate quickly after a police official appeared to be struck in the head by protestors on the first day of the strike.
“Thereafter, police were observed to use excessive force on the crowd, including inappropriate use of lathis and tear gas, even stone-throwing,” the Office said in a press release. Tensions rose after the police used a water cannon against protestors sitting passively on the road, resulting in stone throwing by the demonstrators.
Representative of OHCHR-Nepal, Richard Bennett said he recognized the police’s right to keep public highways clear as well as demonstrators’ right to protest peacefully. “However, I call on all groups to exercise restraint, to avoid provocation and to reduce tension through dialogue,” he said, adding that the violence is some of the worst on the Kathmandu’s streets in recent years.
