[JURIST] Twelve female prisoners jailed in Nepal for having abortions prior to 2002 have been granted amnesty, Nepalese King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev said Monday through a Department of Prisons press release. Abortions were illegal in Nepal until 2002 and were punishable by up to three years in prison. Women's rights groups had been fighting for the prisoners' pardons ever since abortions were legalized after the country became concerned over women dying from unsafe illegal abortions. BBC News has more, including background on the issue.