AI says 2019 was a year of shrinking freedoms in Nepal

KATHMANDU: Amnesty International (AI) Nepal has dubbed the human rights situation in Nepal as ‘not satisfactory’ in 2019.

The AI said freedoms in Nepal came under attack in 2019 as the government proposed laws to restrict the right to freedom of expression.

In its annual report ‘Human Rights in Asia-Pacific: Review of 2019’ released today, the AI said over the past year, the AI saw the country increasingly resorting to repressive methods to restrict freedoms.

The report said journalists were arrested merely for doing their jobs, and singers imprisoned solely for the content of their songs.

Likewise, the report further said that the civil society came under greater pressure.

According to Biraj Patnaik, South Asia Director at Amnesty International, the government also failed to deliver on truth, justice and reparations for the victims of crimes under international law.

The report further stated that migrant workers, considered a source of prized remittances, were not protected from abusive recruitment practices.

Likewise, several families, which lost their homes during the 2015 earthquake, were no closer to finding permanent shelter, the report said.

AI also stated that freedom of expression was under attack in the country.

The Electronic Transactions Act 2006 was used to arbitrarily arrest artistes and journalists, it said.

Three new bills – the Mass Communication Bill, the Media Council Bill, and the Information Technology Bill – were proposed which would restrict the right to freedom of expression.

Likewise, the report said that the government proposed amendments to legislation that would undermine the independence of the National Human Rights Commission.

It has also raised the proposal of a new law by the cabinet that would restrict the activities of civil society organizations. The new bills that proposed restrictions on freedom of expression, the report said, will damage Nepal’s regional reputation and violate its international obligations.

Patnaik has urged the government to immediately withdraw or amend to ensure that no one in Nepal is punished for what they peacefully say or write.