Police arrest human rights activists in Baluwatar

Police have arrested over a dozen of human rights activists who were staging a sit-on protest in front of Prime Minister’s official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday morning, against the recent promotion of Col Raju Basnet as brigadier general of the Nepal Army(NA).

According to those rights activists who witnessed their colleagues being arrested said," police intervened on our peaceful demonstration."

Government on October 4 had promoted Basnet--a controversial army officer facing allegations of dozens of cases of human rights violations including enforced disappearances and torture during the time of Maoist insurgency—despite immense pressure from National Human Rights Commission and international rights bodies not to promote the controversial NA Col Basent.

The Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists have also expressed their serious concern on government’s decision to promote Basnet.