PRESS RELEASE

BOBBIES RIDE ROUGHSHOD OVER NEPALESE RIGHTS

The National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) in Namibia deplores alleged indiscriminate, inhuman and degrading treatment as well as blatant disregard for the rights of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland.

On January 26 2004, Human Rights and Peace Campaign (HURPEC), a Nepalese human rights organization based in Ontario, Canada, in distress message informed NSHR that members of New Scotland Yard indiscriminately scoured homesof Nepalese asylum seekers arresting anyone who failed to produce identity documents. The incident occurred on January 25 2004 in Plumstead County (i.e. Greenwich Council) HURPEC President Milan Karki stated in an urgent e-mail message addressed to NSHR.

Over 15 Nepalese asylum seekers were allegedly forcibly arrested in the morning of January 25 2004 in the Plumstead area (i.e. Greenwich Council) where many Nepalese asylum seekers live. An unidentified Nepalese asylum seeker said on January 25 2004:

“My sister and her husband, who were arrested this morning are deported to Nepal. They were not given any chance of judicial review and they were inhumanly treated by the British Police”.

Karki, who personally witnessed some the alleged human rights abuses, said:

"I was staying in a room of a Nepalese asylum seeker, Prakash Siwakoti, in Plumstead, when on January 25 2004 at about 10h00 I heard an unusual knocking at the door and voices of a crowd. After the second knock, the householder, a Nepalese student, opened the door, but surprised to see about 8 to 10 police officers from the Home Office pushing the door and entering into the house asking who was living there. The householder, a lady, couldn't speak anything because of fear. But she produced her passport and other personal documents. The police ordered her and her kids to stay in their own room as long as they run the search. They loudly knocked at the door of another asylum seeker. I put on my clothes and opened the door. Among the police was a female officer who immediately asked for passports and other personal documents upon entering into the room. Prakash, who worked until late last night, was still sleeping, as today was his day off. The female officer woke him up too. Then she came for me and I showed her my passport, saying nothing but watching their unusual move.

The female officer started putting various questions to my friend. But he failed to produce original documents, saying that such documents were with his solicitor and that he wanted to talk to his solicitor about it. However, this officer would not listen. So, she arrested him without giving him any chance to phone his solicitor.

They also seized all his identity documents including his passport from his room. They ordered me not to stand or move. I was surprised to see this kind of unusual treatment against me, but my silence was important at that time.

After they arrested Prakash, I immediately went to the Plumstead charge office and tried to meet him, but they didn't allow me to see him. They are trying to summarily deport him to Nepal”.

Reacting to the HURPEC allegations NSHR executive director Phil ya Nangoloh noted said this morning:

“Although these very ugly allegations against the Bobbies are no surprise to us, such allegations are an embarrassment to human rights organizations on the African continent, such as NSHR, that entirely dependent on donor funding for our human rights work. Often we are falsely accused of receiving donor funding in order to tarnish the image of our own governments on behalf of the governments in donor States. Nonetheless, lest we are misunderstood, NSHR does not tolerate human rights abuses from whatever quarter. As a truly independent human rights watchdog, NSHR has in the past not hesitated and we will not now hesitate in condemning human rights abuses wherever they occur. Hence, we condemn human rights abuses under the nose of British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the same fashion we have condemned abuses under the regime of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. We regret, however, allegations of human rights abuses in established democracies, such as the United Kingdom, that were supposed to be role models with regard to respect for human rights, the rule of law and good governance. Moreover, it is precisely these alleged human rights abuses in democratic and donor States that are also cited by habitual human rights abusers, such as Zimbabwe, not only to weaken or refute legitimate international concern for human rights on the continent, but also to intimidate and cow into silence local human rights defenders”.

Approached on these allegations an official from the British High Commission this morning declined to comment saying that the High Commission does “not know anything” about the HURPEC charges.

Established by young intellectuals in the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu on December 10 1998, HURPEC is a global peace movement aimed at the protection, promotion and implementation of human rights and peace as guaranteed in international human rights instruments adopted by the United Nations. The human rights situation in the tiny central Asian mountain kingdom of Nepal is characterized by widespread, gross and systematic human rights abuses, such as summary executions, torture and enforced disappearances. Both government and opposition Maoist forces have reportedly committed horrendous abuses against the civilian population.

For additional comment, please comment please call Phil ya Nangoloh or Dorkas Nangolo at Tel: +264 61 236 183 or +264 61 253 447 (during office hours) or Cell: +264 811 299 886 (Phil) or +264 812 751 883 (Dorkas), e-mail:[email protected], www.nshr.org.na.