Four ‘Free Madhesh’ supporters arrested from Bara Bariyarpur

File Photo: Brajesh Singh (holding mobile phone) arrested in Sundhara, Kathmandu, on 2014 November 26
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Press Release
2015 November 24
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Nepal Police detained four supporters of the Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM) led by Dr. C. K. Raut, on Tuesday, while they were holding a meeting in Bariyarpur of Bara district. They include Brajesh Singh, Binod Sarraf, Bitu Sah and Sadam Ansari. Before arresting them, the police had locked about 30 participants inside the meeting room inhumanly .
The Alliance has decided to commemorate November 26th as ‘the Racial Arrest Day’, through peaceful placard demonstrations, to remember the arrest of more than 300 Madheshis one year ago on the same day, from the Sundhara area of Kathmandu, when the Nepal Police had arrested Madheshis just by looking at the colour of their skin [1]. The meeting was held to discuss the same program in the district.
Alliance for Independent Madhesh (AIM) is a coalition of Madheshi people, activists, political parties and various social organisations working for the independence of Madhesh, through non-violent and peaceful means following the principles of Buddha, Gandhi and Mandela. The alliance advocates an end to Nepali colonisation, racism, slavery and discrimination imposed on the Madheshis. It stands for three pillars: (a) Independent Madhesh (b) Democratic System, and (c) Peaceful and Non-violent Means.
Acknowledging that the rights to freedom of speech, movement, peaceful assembly and association are the fundamental rights of all human beings everywhere, as also mandated by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), of which Nepal is a signatory, we expect acknowledgement and assurance of the rights to freedom of expression, movement and peaceful assembly from the state and its agencies. We hereby appeal to all human rights bodies, journalists and international communities to oppose any infringement on fundamental human rights by the Government of Nepal and its agencies, to secure immediate and unconditional release of the detainees, and to ensure fundamental human rights and freedom of expression for all.
File Photo: Brajesh Singh (holding mobile phone) arrested in Sundhara, Kathmandu, on 2014 November 26
[1] Nepal: Dissenting Voices at Risk
Amnesty International, 5 December 2014, Index number: ASA 31/008/2014
URL: https://www.amnesty.org/…/Documen…/208000/asa310082014en.pdf
“The arrests of CK Raut and fellow Madhesi activists on 25 and 26 November for attempting to hold a rally in Kathmandu constitute violations of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly; the Government of Nepal must actively protect the space for political debate, including dissenting views on the constitution. Altogether, the Nepal police and Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested more than 300 people and held some 30 individuals, including Raut, for up to 48 hours.”