Wednesday, February 9 2005 13:56 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kathmandu: At least 43 people have been detained or put under house arrest in Nepal following imposition of emergency in the country, the Home Ministry said in a statement today (Feb 9, 2005).

About 25 people have been arrested and 18 were put under house arrest in order to "avoid any law and order disturbances and for their personal safety," it said.

Those arrested include all top leaders of Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party (Unified Marxist-Leninist), Nepali Congress (Democratic) and Janamorcha Nepal. Many political leaders have gone underground, fearing arrest.

The Nepal Human Rights Organisation (HURON) has, however, put the arrest figure to 120, three times as higher than the Government's disclosure of 43 detainees, including those under house arrest.

A delegation of human rights activists led by Sudip Pathak, President of HURON, met Home Minister Dan Bahadur Shahi yesterday (Feb 8, 2005) and urged him to ensure basic values of peace, democracy and human rights during the time of emergency.

A group of nine top UN human rights experts, who report to the UN Human Rights Commission, yesterday voiced deep concern over a wave of arrests and detentions in Nepal following King Gyanendra's suspension of constitutional guarantees and called for the full restoration of democracy and the rule of law.

"The wave of arrests and detentions and the actions against the media are a serious setback for the country," they said in a statement.

"Consequently, we call upon the Government of Nepal to reaffirm the basic principles of the rule of law, democracy, and supremacy of the constitution, as well as to guarantee basic human rights for all its citizens, including the right to life, to physical and psychological integrity, to liberty, to security, and freedom of opinion, expression, association, assembly and movement."