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HRW claims Nepal suppressing Tibetan protests under Chinese pressure

New York-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) has claimed the government of Nepal, under pressure from China, has arbitrarily arrested hundreds of Tibetans and restricted their right to demonstrate against the March 2008 crackdown in Tibet.

In its latest report released Thursday, HRW called on Nepal to respect Tibetans' rights to free expression and assembly, and for China to end its pressure campaign against Nepal.

"Nepal's government is turning the screws on peaceful Tibetan protesters at the behest of China," the report quoted Brad Adams, Asia director of the human rights watchdog, adding, "How can a government that came to power on a wave of public protests justify crushing peaceful protests by Tibetans?"

The report entitled 'Appeasing China: Restricting the Rights of Tibetans in Nepal,' documents numerous violations of human rights by the Nepali authorities, particularly the police, against Tibetans involved in peaceful demonstrations in Kathmandu, including, unnecessary and excessive use of force, arbitrary arrest; sexual assault of women during arrest, arbitrary and preventive detention, beatings in detention, unlawful threats to deport Tibetans to China, restrictions on freedom of movement in the Kathmandu Valley, harassment of Tibetan and foreign journalists and harassment of Nepali, Tibetan, and foreign human rights defenders.

HRW said it directly observed protests and arrests, conditions in detention, and treatment in hospitals while preparing the report. It also carried out regular observation visits to Tibetan areas of Kathmandu, interviewed more than 90 Tibetan protesters and conducted interviews with non-Tibetan protest eyewitnesses, Tibetan community and religious leaders, Nepali medical personnel and police officers, and United Nations personnel in Nepal.

Nepal is home to approximately 20,000 Tibetan refugees.

HRW further blamed China of playing an important, if at times opaque, role in the Nepali government's crackdown on Tibetan demonstrations. "China's ambassador to Nepal, Zheng Xianglin, has publicly exerted China's influence on the Nepali government through strong and frequent statements, calling for the arrest of protesters and urging the government to take strong action," the report said.

Human Rights Watch has called on the government to respect the fundamental rights of Tibetans to engage in peaceful assembly and expression, and to end the arbitrary arrest, harassment, and mistreatment of those who do so.

It also called on the Chinese government to cease its public and private pressure on the Nepali government to violate the rights of Tibetans. nepalnews.com ia/ag July 25 08