The police on February 27, 2013 apprehended four Tibetan refugees from the Teaching Hospital area of Kathmandu, violating their rights to freedom 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 freedom 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 freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom 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 freedom 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
Freedom Forum
Thapathali, Kathmandu
Post Box No: 24292
Phone No. 4102030, 4102022
Website: www.nepalpressfreedom.org; www.freedomforum.org.np
Email: info@freedomforum.org.np; freedomforum@enet.com.np