Nepal high court orders release of opposition leaders News
Nepal high court orders release of opposition leaders

[JURIST] The Supreme Court of Nepal [official website] on Thursday ordered the release of two leaders in the Nepali Congress Democratic party who were arrested almost two months ago in a government crackdown [JURIST report] on opposition politicians and activists. The court ruled that the government had no right to hold the men, arrested during January night raids on their homes for planning an opposition rally in Kathmandu calling on King Gyanendra [official profile; BBC profile] to restore democracy in Nepal [government website; JURIST news archive].

Gyanendra's dismissal of the democratic government [JURIST report] occurred last February with the royal government saying it was a necessary move to combat communism and prevent corruption. The high court's order follows several similar decisions in recent weeks to release [JURIST report] other arrested protestors, which has been a political setback to the king's rule. AP has more. NepalNews.com has local coverage.