Nepal government withdraws criminal charges against Maoist leaders

Dec 15, 2008, 4:05 GMT

   Kathmandu - Nepal's Maoist-led government has withdrawn criminal charges against thousands of Maoist leaders and cadres, including the premier and several ministers, media reports said Monday.

   The charges ranged from crimes against the state to murder and rape, the state-owned Gorkhapatra newspaper said.

   The Maoists have been blamed for abuses during their decade-long insurgency, which killed nearly 14,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands before the guerrillas signed a peace pact in November 2006 and joined the government.

   The decision meant that 15 charges against Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal were formally withdrawn.

   Charges against Dahal included arson, murder and armed robbery in seven districts across Nepal as well as illegal possession of arms and ammunition.

   Another 15 charges against Maoist second-in-command Babu Ram Bhattarai, now finance minister, were also formally dropped.

   'The decision of the government to withdraw 345 separate charges has freed more than 3,000 people who were accused of criminal activities by the previous government during the insurgency,' the newspaper said.

   Human rights organizations have criticized the government's decision to withdraw the charges, including those filed after the end of insurgency in November 2006.

   Nepal's largest newspaper by circulation, the Kantipur Daily, said the Maoist-led government dropped the charges that included rape and drug trafficking, describing them as politically motivated.

   The newspaper said Nepal's National Human Rights Commission and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had said many of the charges needed to be investigated before a formal decision was taken.

   'We will investigate the nature of charges that were withdrawn by the government to see if they include charges of gross human rights violations or are criminal in nature,' said Gauri Pradhan, member of the National Human Rights Commission.

   'Murder, rape, abduction and drug trafficking are serious crimes and these types of crimes should not be pardoned,' Pradhan said. 'The council of ministers has abused its power by withdrawing criminal charges haphazardly.'

   Nepal's Maoist-led government came to power after a strong showing in elections this year.