NBA will provide free legal service

Kathmandu Jan 22-Nepal Bar Association (NBA) said Saturday that security personnel barred its monitoring team from meeting the detainees, citing "orders from above".

"The NBA denounces the government's act of barring our team from meeting the detainees, which goes against the right to meet detainees as mentioned in the constitution, laws and different treaties and covenants to which Nepal is a party," states the statement.

"NBA will provide free legal service for those who was arrested illegal during Demonstration " said Madav Baskota , secretory of NBA. He also condemn the government for violating human right .

Main while,National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Saturday said that detained leaders and civil society members are kept in poor conditions in custody.

The revelation comes after two separate NHRC teams monitored various detention centres on Friday. Speaking at a function Saturday, Sudip Pathak, member of the NHRC, said, "We found that the detainees are being kept in poor living conditions."

Pathak informed that the health condition of Pradip Nepal, standing committee member of the CPN- UML, is critical. Nepal is suffering from respiratory disease and has been denied medical assistance even two days after his condition deteriorated.

Pathak added that the detainees are provided with served low quality food and are kept in large numbers under shelters, where dew moisture enters during the night. The authorities have also denied them private newspapers.

"We found that many of them were handed blank charge sheets issued by the Chief District Officer," he said, adding, "Security personnel reportedly asked them to choose one among 11 charges mentioned on the sheet."

A statement issued by NHRC Saturday said the commission met, and monitored the living conditions of, 104 detainees at the Armed Police Force (APF) barracks at Duwakot, Bhaktapur and the Number 2 Police Post at Maharajgunj.

Some 50 leaders are being detained in a single hall at the APF barracks, while the rest are being kept at the police post.