NEW DELHI // Nepal’s government is coming under increasing pressure to release C K Raut, an activist who has been imprisoned after being accused of fomenting a secessionist campaign.
Mr Raut, who was arrested in mid-September, has been charged with sedition for demanding that the region of Madhesh, in the southern plains of Nepal, be declared an independent state.
His arrest has drawn fierce criticism, within Nepal as well as outside. Prachanda, the leading opposition politician, said after Mr Raut’s arrest that every political opinion had a right to be heard. “Those demanding a reinstatement of the monarchy are free to speak up, and those advocating the right to self-determination also should not be arrested,” he said.
On Friday, Amnesty International released a statement urging Nepal to “unconditionally” release Mr Raut. “The arbitrary arrest and detention of CK Raut on the basis of his peaceful expression of his political views is a breach of his right to freedom of speech,” the statement said.
Last week, Brad Adams, the Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said that the arrest “threatens the chances of a robust debate on federalism, and undermines the promise of inclusion. Mr Raut’s arrest shows that minority voices can and will be easily sidelined.”
A successful computer scientist who studied in Japan and the United Kingdom, Mr Raut returned to Nepal in 2011, giving up a career in the United States to begin a non-violent campaign for the rights of Madheshis.
"He's a Madheshi himself, and he has been saying that Madhesh can develop only if it becomes independent," Prashant Jha, a New Delhi-based Nepali writer and author of Battles of the New Republic: A Contemporary History of Nepal, told The National on Wednesday. "His politics is based on the stance that Madheshis aren't getting their due rights in Nepal."
Mr Raut’s arrest comes in the midst of Nepal’s drafting process for its new constitution, which is scheduled to be promulgated by January 2015. As discussions about a federal structure have heated up, Mr Raut has been calling for the right to secession to be embedded within the new constitution.
“The government has in general been becoming insecure and jittery about the impact he’s been having,” Mr Jha said. “He’s been campaigning and travelling a lot. And the home minister at the moment is an ultra-nationalist as well, so there was a push by him that led to the arrest.”
Mr Jha met Mr Raut in prison, in Kathmandu, shortly after his arrest. Not long afterwards, Mr Raut went on an 11-day hunger strike that ended only when the government hinted that it would drop the “public offence” charge under which he had first been arrested.
Instead, however, Mr Raut found himself charged afresh with sedition.
Although a special court last week ordered that Mr Raut could be released on a bail of 50,000 Nepali rupees (Dh 1,855), he refused to post the bail.
The Madhesh independence movement dates back to the 1950s. Through the decades, Madheshi secessionists have argued that they face racism and discrimination, that their region is routinely overlooked in Kathmandu’s development plans, and that their fundamental rights are often infringed.
Between 2006 and 2008, riots broke out on several occasions, leaving 54 Madheshis dead from police gunfire and many more injured or arrested.
Some Madheshi groups have also taken recourse to militancy to press for their objectives. But Mr Raut was “always utterly non-violent,” Mr Jha said.
A few weeks before his arrest, Mr Raut had been invited by Nepal’s constituent assembly – which is drafting the constitution – to share his views on the structure of the constitution. It was here that he formally asked for the right to secession to be included.
His arrest has triggered spurts of protest from other Madheshi independence parties, and the fresh pressure from international human rights groups could make the Nepali government uncomfortable, Mr Jha said.
“Even within the government, some people are saying that this arrest shouldn’t have happened,” he said. “But I don’t think it will as yet cause mass protests on the ground. Instead, Mr Raut’s case will get merged with a lot of other, bigger issues of federalism as this debate over the constitution continues.”
ssubramanian@thenational.ae
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FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
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Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East
In the role: Since January 2015
Lives: In the UAE
Background: M&A, investment banking
Studied: Corporate finance
Bharatanatyam
A ancient classical dance from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Intricate footwork and expressions are used to denote spiritual stories and ideas.
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- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Fulham 0
Red cards: Tim Ream (Fulham)
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
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Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
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Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5