|
International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission
At 3a.m., they were boarding taxis outside the restaurant to return home when two policemen approached them and forced them to go to a corner across the street. The policemen derided them with words such as "hijras" (referring to transgender people and people with intersex conditions, mostly men who undergo castration), "bastards", and "chhakas" (a derogatory Nepali word for homosexuals), and demanded that they go to the police station. Some of the men asked if they had broken the law and questioned the order, and the policemen attacked them brutally. According to testimony collected by the Blue Diamond Society, a support organization for MSM in Nepal, one of them (nicknamed "Alex") was beaten badly on his chest by a baton, kicked in the stomach with boots, and whipped on the back and face with a belt. He lost his balance and fell down, but the policemen became more aggressive and continued their attack. Another victim (nicknamed "Sunmaya") attempted to help Alex by wresting control of one policeman's baton and throwing it aside. The police, however, pulled out their guns and beat both of them. Alex was beaten on his back by the guns, kicked in the stomach, and fell down. The other MSMs in the group called for help, but onlookers failed to respond. After 40 minutes of brutality, another police squadron came to the scene, joining in the attack and taking seven of the men into custody at the police station next to the Royal Palace. They reported facing further verbal and physical abuse in custody; no charges were filed against them. The other two victims fled and sought help from Sunil Pant, Director of the Blue Diamond Society. Pant, along with an advocate, Sapana Malla Pradham, went to the police station and secured the release of the seven men at 6:45a.m., taking them to nearby Bir Hospital afterward. The Blue Diamond Society condemns this attack as part of a pattern of police brutality against homosexuals. Victims in the attack stated in interviews that they faced similar incidents for a long time, and "it has become a routine." According to Blue Diamond Society, homosexuals are routinely beaten up, extorted, raped, and blackmailed by the police. One member of the Blue Diamond Society reported being recently stopped by a policeman while riding in a taxi, forced into a van, and sexually abused while facing death threats. The policeman said he would shoot him and tell his superiors he was forced to kill him in a brawl. Action Alert: Assist the Blue Diamond Society and IGLHRC by denouncing police violence against homosexuals in Nepal. Please send urgent messages, faxes, or letters of protest to the following addresses below. Call for an immediate, impartial, and sweeping investigation into this alleged incident of police brutality against homosexual males. Denounce patterns of police violence against homosexuals in Kathmandu, and call for an immediate end to these practices. Demand sensitivity training for police addressing sexual orientation issues and expressions as well as gender identity and expression. A model letter and addresses are provided below: Rt. Hon. Nayan Bahadur Khatri Chairman National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Harihar Bhavan, Pulchwok Lalitpur, G.P.O. Box 9182 Kathmandu Nepal Fax: +977-1-552-5659 E-mail: nhrc@nhrc-nepal.org Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Singha Durbar Kathmandu Nepal Phone: +977-1-222847, 226230 Fax: +977-1-422-0684 Inspector General of Police Police Headquarters G.P.O. Box 407 Naxal Kathmandu Nepal Fax: + 977-1-441-5594 Email: info@nepalpolice.gov.np Amnesty International Nepal P. O. Box 135, Bagbazar Kathmandu Nepal Fax: +977-1-422-5489 E-mail: ain@ccsl.com.np Please send copies of letters to: Sunil Pant, Executive Director Blue Diamond Society GPO Box 8975, EPC No: 5119 Kathmandu Nepal Ph: +977-1-4443350 Fax: +977-1-4438600 E-mail: bluediamondsociety@yahoo.com, blueds@ccslnp.com Model Letter: Dear Sir, We are writing to express grave concern over patterns of police brutality against homosexual men in Kathmandu. According to reports from Blue Diamond Society--a support organization for men who have sex with men in Nepal--on April 22, 2003, police officers harassed and verbally abused nine homosexual men boarding taxis outside a restaurant near the Royal Palace in Kathmandu. When some of the victims asked if they had broken any law and questioned orders to go to a police station, the policemen reportedly attacked the group, beating them with batons and guns, whipping them with belts, and kicking them. Seven of the men were taken into custody, where they faced further physical and verbal abuse. Such violations of the right to freedom of expression, freedom from torture, the right to security of person, the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, and right to be free from discrimination--all guaranteed by the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nepal is a signatory--are unfortunately common at the hands of the police among the homosexual community in Nepal. Blue Diamond Society has reported an epidemic of police abuse--including acts of arbitrary arrest and detention, physical violence, verbal abuse, intimidation, extortion, and rape--against homosexuals in Nepal. We denounce this discriminatory behavior and demand an immediate end to all police abuses against homosexuals. We also ask for an immediate, sweeping, and fair investigation of previous and current abuses against these communities by the police, including the April 22 incident. Police should protect and serve citizens, not abuse them. The Bangalore police should be trained on human rights and issues of human diversity, including sexual orientation and gender identity, to discourage discrimination against any group, including homosexuals. We urge you to invite local groups such as Blue Diamond Society to assist with training police on these matters. I anticipate your swift and decisive action to guarantee respect for human rights in accordance with international human rights standards in Nepal. Please contact me with notification of your response at the address below.
Sincerely, |
Kathmandu, Nepal--On the night of April 21-22, a group of nine men who have sex with men (MSM)--cross-dressing for a party--went to a Disco known as the Dynasty near the Royal Palace in the heart of Kathmandu and then ate a late dinner at a nearby restaurant, the Oriental.