The police on February 27, 2013 apprehended four Tibetan refugees from the Teaching Hospital area of Kathmandu, violating their rights to freedom1 of mobility and peaceful gathering. According to the police, the arrested ones are Sonam Lama, Jimi Lama (men), Yangli Lama and Chhiring Lama (women). Also a case on public offence has been filed against the arrested ones. It is said the Tibetan refugees had reached the Hospital area for peaceful protest and gathering for a Tibetan monk Doman Dukche who committed self-immolation had died at the Hospital while receiving treatment. Dukche had committed self-immolation at Bouddha, Kathmandu on February 13, 2013. Moreover, the police had arrested 47 Tibetans from Patan, Lalitpur, and released in the evening same day. The Tibetan refugees have been expressing their voices time and again in Nepal demanding free Tibet. The self-immolation, though a worst form of freedom1 of expression, may have been caused because of the suppression to the exercise of his human rights which are not bound any frontiers. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights states- Everyone has the right to freedom1 of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom1 to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. The FF concludes as the rights of peaceful protest were subdued, it resulted in violent form of expression- self-immolation. The freedom1 of expression, a boundless issue, therefore needs to be respected. The FF therefore requests the government to respect the human rights of refugees as per the international standard. For More Information freedom1 Forum Thapathali, Kathmandu Post Box No: 24292 Phone No. 4102030, 4102022 Website: www.nepalpressfreedom1.org | www.freedom1forum.org.np Email: info@freedom1forum.org.np
Freedom Forum is a prominent non-governmental organization in Nepal dedicated to institutionalizing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, right to information, promoting audit accountability, open and accountable budget, public finance reforms, citizen engagement in public finance management and citizen participation in audit. Established in February 2005, the organization emerged in response to the political turmoil following Former King Gyanendra’s coup dated February 1, 2005, which imposed severe restrictions on media and democratic rights. A group of media professionals, legal experts, and academics founded Freedom Forum to safeguard Nepal’s hard-earned democratic freedoms during this repressive period.
