Nepal Arrests Ex-PM Oli, Minister Over Protest Crackdown

In Kathmandu, Nepal, former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on March 28 for their alleged criminal negligence during a deadly crackdown on nationwide protests the previous September, which left at least 76 people dead and toppled Oli's government.

The arrests occurred in predawn raids shortly after Balendra Shah was sworn in as prime minister following elections held in the wake of the unrest. Authorities acted on recommendations from an inquiry commission, led by former Special Court chair Gauri Bahadur Karki, which investigated the violence and accused Oli and Lekhak of failing to prevent security forces from opening fire on demonstrators. The commission cited statements from the two leaders claiming ignorance of the events as an attempt to evade responsibility, recommending prosecution under Sections 181 and 182 of the National Penal Code for recklessness causing death, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Neither man has been formally charged yet, and both deny involvement.

Police began recording statements from Lekhak on Wednesday in the presence of district attorneys, with his initial remand set to expire Thursday....