The situation in Katmandu and the rest of Nepal at the moment since the formal dismissal of the government on February 1, 2005, by King Gyanendra and his takeover through the declaration of a state of emergency and the use of the military should be a matter of extreme concern for the international community, particularly the dangers that members of the former government and other democratic parties, all organisations and societies and human rights defenders face requires immediate intervention from all members of the international community. The United Nations should immediately intervene with the king to prevent any use of violence, extrajudicial killings, illegal detention and arrest and torture. It is also the duty of all governments to intervene similarly in order to ensure the safety and security of all individuals in the country.
At the moment, all telephone lines to Katmandu have been cut. By this move, harm could be done to many people before the world will know anything about them. As a preliminary protection measure, it is essential to get the king to restore communication within the country and outside of it so that basic security and the well-being of the population can be guaranteed.
Without a doubt, what has taken place is a coup and a bid to take absolute power by the king, power which was lost in 1990 when the royalty gave in to popular demands for democracy through a constitution which guaranteed an elected Parliament and some additional limited democratic reforms. Since the first dismissal of the government two years ago, there has been a crisis of legitimacy in the government. Last June the dismissed prime minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, was reappointed to guarantee some form of legitimacy, a decision that was made through international pressure. Now this government has been dismissed, and the army has surrounded the prime ministers house, all political leaders have been placed under house arrest and the military has taken control of the capitals streets. The ensuing situation could be extremely grave for the protection of Nepals citizens. If no serious intervention is made at this stage by the United Nations, the powerful countries in the West and India and China to stop the escalation of violence, a bloodbath could easily take place while the movement of the people and news is restricted.
In a report issued on January 18 entitled The Mathematics of Barbarity and Zero Rule of Law in Nepal, the Asian Legal Resource Centre (ALRC) drew the attention of the world to the extremely bleak situation in Nepal, particularly pointing to large-scale disappearances, extrajudicial killings and torture in which innocent people have become targets and victims. On the same day, Amnesty International (AI) also issued a report pointing to the extremely dangerous situation in Nepal. With the present coup, the situation will escalate, and the extent of violence to be expected is high.
The United Nation High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNCHR), Louise Arbour, who was in Nepal last week and was able to observe the situation for herself, should take the initiative to call an international human rights alert in order to save lives in Nepal. In particular, she should take the initiative to provide security for all human rights defenders who, despite the extremely dark situation in recent years, have been working to defend the rights of the people. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ruud Lubbers, should also take the initiative to use his office in order to save lives in the country.
