Friends:

I am bringing to your attention the plea of SamirJi, the son of a detainee in Nepal(Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel). His medical condition, a short bio, a news clip describing his detention, and the original email are given below.

His son, SamirJi, lives in Seattle. Any pressure some of you can put on the International Amnesty (or any other sources) on his behalf, especially on the medical ground, would be highly appreciated.

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I was looking for more reliable source for you and here is the link to the article I found that mentions his detention.

http://www.icj.org/news.php3?id_article=3634&lang=en


Attached please find short profile on his profession and his health.

Look forward to hearing from you.
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Short Personal Profile of Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel

Senior Attorney Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel has been in law practice for the past 33 years. He was the president of Nepal Bar Association (NBA) for three years from the year 2000 to 2003. Under his dynamic leadership, Nepal Bar was actively involved in safeguarding and promoting human rights and the rule of Law in Nepal.

Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel is the member of peace dialogue committee to facilitate talks with the rebels. He along with other members of the committee is in the regular process of preparing groundwork to bring Maoists and the Government to the negotiation table.

Besides being a law practioner, Mr. Pyakurel was actively involved in the political activities during and after the Panchayat regime. He participated in the multi-party movement of 1990s and was arrested and jailed several times.

At present Mr. Pyakurel is not aligned to any political organization but he is actively involved in his legal profession, political and human rights issues in Nepal and abroad. As a coordinator of Public Concern Committee of Nepal Bar Association, he led the team to monitor and oversee human rights situations in different parts of the country. As the president of Nepal Bar Association, Mr. Pyakurel was the member of a task force formed under the aegis of HMG Nepal and United Nation Development Program (UNDP) that prepared reports on human rights which have been incorporated in the 10th Five year plan of Nepal.

Mr. Pyakurel is the active member of Human Rights Organization SAARC, a human rights watchdog for South Asian region, and is in the advisory committee of Human Rights Organization Nepal (HURON). He was also the counseling member of Forum for Protection of Human Rights Nepal (FOPUR), a pioneer human rights organization.

Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel has participated and presented papers in various workshop seminars on Law, Human Rights, and Conflict management in Nepal and abroad.


His health Concerns

Mr. Pyakurel is a heart patient who requires regular doctor?s attention. He is needs to be on medication every day, regular exercise and has to watch his diet. He has had two heart attacks in the past and any stress could jeopardize his life. He was due for Coronary Angiogram (check up of blockage in the arteries) this month.
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A searchable database of the ICJ's press releases, reports, legal documents & key external legal materials.
Nepal - HUNDREDS DETAINED IN NEPAL: King suspends human rights protections
Newsroom
4th February 2005

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) urges the King and Royal Nepalese Army to ensure the safety of the former President of the Nepal Bar Association, who along with hundreds of political and student leaders has been detained by the Nepali security forces. Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel was arrested at his office in Kathmandu on 1 February and is being detained at Armed Police Force headquarters in Halchowk. The ICJ calls for his immediate release.



The ICJ urges the King and the Royal Nepalese Army to release the hundreds of persons arbitrarily detained and to desist from carrying out further arrests. The authorities must grant detainees immediate access to lawyers and their families and medical assistance where necessary. The authorities must also grant the International Committee of the Red Cross and the National Human Rights Commission full access to all places of detention.

Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel's detention is part of a wider crackdown by the Army on political parties, media and human rights organisations in Kathmandu and a number of districts since King Gyanendra declared a state of emergency and assumed direct rule on 1 February. The ICJ is concerned for the hundreds of lawyers, human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists and democratic activists whose safety is threatened.

The King has reportedly suspended many of the provisions of the Constitution that protect fundamental human rights and freedoms, including the right to privacy and freedoms of expression, press, assembly and association. It is also reported that habeas corpus has been suspended but under both the Nepali Constitution and international law this vital safeguard for all detainees can never be suspended even during a state of emergency. These sweeping suspensions of constitutional protection are in clear violation of Nepal's international legal obligations.

The ICJ urges the King to immediately restore the rule of law and fully respect human rights.



For further information, please contact: Ian Seiderman, Legal Adviser at + 41 22 979 3800