UNITED NATIONS, April 5 (UPI) -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan is concerned over a confrontation developing in Nepal on the eve of a major opposition demonstration.
The government has imposed a ban on protests in Katmandu just before the planned "Seven-Party Alliance" demonstration and reportedly has arrested scores of opponents, a U.N. spokesman said.
"While maintenance of law and order is the responsibility of the state, security considerations should not be the basis for denying citizens their right to peaceful protest -- a right for which virtually all avenues seem to be closing," Annan said Wednesday in a statement released by the spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
Annan also called attention to the recent announcement by Maoist rebel leadership that they have suspended military activity in the Katmandu Valley and urged militants to take further steps to fulfill their commitments.
"The Secretary-General appeals to all sides in Nepal to work towards ending the conflict through a reciprocal ceasefire agreement," the Dujarric said.
Violations of international humanitarian law in Nepal have "deepened a great deal" over the past two months, with Maoist rebels increasingly targeting cities and government forces bombing civilian areas, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday.
The Maoist insurgency has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it began in 1996 to replace the ruling monarchy with a communist regime.
