A delegation of human rights activists from 17 organisations, presented the Prime Minister of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, with a memorandum protesting the recent harassment of human rights activists by security forces and other human rights violations in the country.

The move followed the attempt to abduct the General Secretary and other staff from Anti-Slavery's partner organisation, Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) by the army and police. The Prime Minister said he would take the matter seriously.

INSEC works on a range of human rights issues in the country, including bonded labour. On 11 January, plain clothed policemen visited INSEC's national office and asked its General Secretary Subodh Pyakurel to accompany them. When he asked for identification, they refused and tried to remove him by force. But INSEC's staff prevented them from abducting him.

Later that evening, members of the army entered another INSEC office and threatened its Regional Co-ordinator Bhola Mahat.

According to Amnesty International, these were the latest of four attacks. The first was on 4 December, when INSEC's representative in Kalikot District, Kush Raj Shahi was threatened by police after he asked about people who had "disappeared" after being taken into custody. The next was on 8 January when INSEC representative Bishnu Raj Pokhrel was arrested by police and beaten up.

Anti-Slavery condemns the attacks on its partners in Nepal and supports their demands for human rights activists to be allowed the freedom to monitor the activities of the security forces.

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