United Nations Radio

The UN Human Rights Office in Nepal is calling for greater respect for human rights and for reforms in Nepal's public security system.

Its report, issued on Thursday, concludes that police used excessive force during political protests in the south of the country in February. The Human Rights office investigated the deaths of six people and numerous cases of injuries caused by police fire. It acknowledges that the Nepalese police exercised more restraint than on previous occasions; nevertheless, the use of lethal force was not justified. The report notes that according to international standards, firearms can only be used as a last resort when there is an imminent threat to life.

A few days earlier, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal expressed deep concern at the arbitrary arrest and detention of several hundred people in the capital Kathmandu, protesting against the recent violence in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The Office considers widespread arrests without charges a violation of basic rights to freedom of movement and peaceful assembly and expression.