The anti-terrorism ordinance issued Monday night in Nepal, vests the authorities with sweeping powers to arrest those involved in terrorist activities or even abetting such crimes and making them liable to a maximum of life imprisonment, the government on Wednesday announced. The ordinance, promulgated following last weekend`s spate in the Maoist insurgency which claimed more than 300 victims since last Friday, came along with another royal proclamation clamping emergency over the Himalayan kingdom. And on Wednesday, a government spokesperson pointed out that whether a life or lives are lost or not due to the acts of terrorism, the people involved or those conspiring these acts should be imprisoned for life.
The authorities would be able to detain anyone they suspect of being involved in acts of terrorism for 90 days without charging them, he said. The authorities would also be able to freeze a suspect`s bank accounts and properties, suspend his passport and raid his house without a notice or court order, he added.
Bureau Report