Political imprisonment is a persistent feature of Nepali life. All political party activity is banned. There are usually at least 100 political prisoners in Nepal’s jails, and in recent periods of widespread protest such as the first half of 1985, hundreds of non-violent opponents of the government spent weeks or months in prison. Students, journalists and trade unionists have all been jailed for non-violent political activity. This report documents a pattern of political imprisonment. It also describes torture and ill-treatment in police custody, religious persecution, several ‘disappearances’ and the use of the death penalty in the Himalayan kingdom.
