Kathmandu, March 29:

Human rights activists today said peaceful protests over any topic or at any place are basic human rights and nobody can snatch these rights until the Constitution is alive.

They said the government’s bid to foil parties rallies has made Nepal a ‘matter of ridicule’ among the international community.

Addressing a programme at HURON office today, former speaker Daman Nath Dhungana said the government has no right to create hurdles to any peaceful political protest on any pretext.

“The government is showing a defeated mentality and is trying to keep political demonstrations off the roads by threatening the political parties of labelling them as terrorists,” he said.

“If the government labels parties as terrorists, then all the citizens except the royalists will be terrorists, and not even one per cent of people are royalists,” he said.

Rights activist Padma Ratna Tuladhar said peaceful demonstrations are an established methods of practising democracy. “It is sad that the government is threatening the parties with mobilising army against demonstrations. No where in the world, army is mobilised against peaceful civilian movements,” he said.

Prof Kapil Shrestha, former member of the NHRC, said the government vowing to foil the parties’ demonstration has only made Nepal a “matter of ridicule” in the world.

Referring to army’s aerial attack on a school, where Maoists were holding a programme, two days ago in Sindhupalchowk, Shrestha said the government is openly attacking schools when even Hitler and other dictators had spared schools and churches during the World Wars. “It is shameful.”