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26 July, 2005
Nepal’s monarchy continues its irrational restriction of civil liberties by targeting labour leaders for arrest on even the slightest provocation. On 8 April, national center GEFONT’s Vice Chairman Lalit Basnet and Hetaunda Zonal Chairman Madhusudan Khatiwada were jailed for speaking out against curtailment of basic trade union rights, including assembly.
Similarly, GEFONT’s Bara Zonal Chairman Kamalesh Jha was arrested in Kalaiya while protesting King Gyanendra’s harsh authoritative measures. GEFONT’s Kanchanpur Zonal Chairman Dharmananda Panta was arrested 25 March hours after he was re-elected. He was released 6 April. Official government response to his incarceration: “(Dharmananda Panta’s) continued freedom would allow him to conduct interviews which are against the spirit of His Majesty’s proclamations, and would further escalate unrest, thus hampering peace and tranquillity.”