Nepal Arrests Ex-Premier K.P. Sharma Oli Over Protest Crackdown Allegations
Nepal's former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday morning by police for their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown against protesters that occurred last September, marking significant legal action taken just one day after Balendra Shah was sworn into office as the new prime minister with his cabinet fully installed at Kathmandu.
Key Points
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1Former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on Saturday morning for alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown against protesters from September.
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2The arrests occurred just one day after the swearing-in of new PM Balendra Shah (Balen) and his cabinet, marking an immediate legal action following their recent assumption of power.
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3Nepal's current Home Minister Sudhan Gurung characterized these detentions as a lawful step toward justice while explicitly rejecting claims that they constitute political retaliation.
Developments
Perspectives
'We have taken former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli... as a lawful step toward justice, rejecting claims of political retaliation.'
— [Khojsamachar]...over their alleged involvement in a deadly crackdown on protesters...
— (Scmp)Police have detained former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak on allegations of involvement in a deadly crackdown against protesters from September 2015, which occurred just before Balendra Shah's cabinet was sworn into office following the recent election that ended their rule after seven years.