Kathmandu, April 15:

The Nepali community in the USA in a show of solidarity with Nepal’s ongoing movement for democracy demonstrated before the United Nations headquarters in New York on Friday.

Assistant Secretary-General of the UN Dr Kul Chandra Gautam and the former Nepalese ambassador to the UN Murari Raj Sharma participated in the rally, according to a statement issued by the New York Rally Organising Committee today. Gautam participated in the rally in his individual capacity of a Nepali citizen and not as a UN official, the statement added.

“We are all shocked at the repression of peaceful demonstrators in Nepal. But we are also inspired by the courage, conviction and sacrifice of the Nepali people for peace, democracy and human rights,” the statement quoted him as saying. “The people’s movement for genuine democracy has gained extraordinary momentum. No military power or repression can suppress it for long, he said. The time has come for all genuinely patriotic Nepalis, including civil servants and members of police and security forces to push for the peaceful movement for democracy, the statement quoted Gautam.

The rally was sponsored by the Nepalese Democratic Youth Council in USA, the Alliance for Democracy and Human Rights in Nepal (ADHRN), and United Democratic Forum.