Whereas, in 1990, Nepal adopted a constitution that
enshrined multi-party democracy under a constitutional monarchy, ending 3
decades of absolute monarchical rule;
Whereas, since 1996, Maoist insurgents have waged a
violent campaign to replace the constitutional monarchy with a communist
republic, which has resulted in widespread human rights violations by both
sides and the loss of an estimated 12,000 lives;
Whereas the Maoist insurgency grew out of the
radicalization and fragmentation of left wing parties following Nepal’s
transition to democracy in 1990;
Whereas, on June 1, 2001, King Birendra, Queen Aishwarya
and other members of the Royal family were murdered, leaving the throne to the
slain King’s brother, the current King Gyanendra;
Whereas, in May 2002, in the face of increasing Maoist
violence, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba dissolved the Parliament of
Nepal;
Whereas, in October 2002, King Gyanendra dismissed Prime
Minister Deuba;
Whereas, in June 2004, after the unsuccessful tenures of 2
additional palace-appointed prime ministers, King Gyanendra reappointed Prime
Minister Deuba and mandated that he hold general elections by April
2005;
Whereas, on February 1, 2005, King Gyanendra accused
Nepali political leaders of failing to solve the Maoist problem, seized
absolute control of Nepal by dismissing and detaining Prime Minister Deuba and
declaring a state of emergency, temporarily shut down Nepal’s communications,
detained hundreds of politicians and political workers, and limited press and
other constitutional freedoms;
Whereas, in November 2005, the mainstream political
parties formed a seven-party alliance with the Maoists and agreed to a 12 point
agenda that called for a restructuring of the government of Nepal to include an
end to absolute monarchical rule and the formation of an interim all-party
government with a view to holding elections for a constituent assembly to
rewrite the Constitution of Nepal;
Whereas, since February 2005, King Gyanendra has
promulgated dozens of ordinances without parliamentary process that violate
basic freedoms of expression and association, including the Election Code of
Conduct that seeks to limit media freedom in covering elections and the Code of
Conduct for Social Organizations that bars staff of nongovernmental
organizations from having political affiliations;
Whereas King Gyanendra ordered the arrest of hundreds of
political workers in January 2006 before holding municipal elections on
February 8, 2006, which the Department of State characterized as a
hollow attempt by the King to legitimize his power
;
Whereas the people of Nepal have been peacefully
protesting since April 6, 2006, in an attempt to restore the democratic
political process;
Whereas on April 10, 2006, the Department of State
declared that King Gyanendra’s February 2005 decision to impose direct
palace rule in Nepal has failed in every regard
and called on the King
to restore democracy immediately and to begin a dialogue with Nepal’s political
parties;
Whereas King Gyanendra ordered a crackdown on the
protests, which has left at least 14 Nepali citizens dead and hundreds injured
by the security forces of Nepal;
Whereas the people of Nepal are suffering hardship due to
food shortages and lack of sufficient medical care because of the prevailing
political crisis;
Whereas King Gyanendra announced on April 21, 2006, that
the executive power of Nepal shall be returned to the people and called on the
seven-party alliance to name a new prime minister to govern the country in
accordance with the 1990 Constitution of Nepal;
Whereas the seven-party alliance subsequently rejected
King Gyanendra’s April 21, 2006 statement and called on him to reinstate
parliament and allow for the establishment of a constituent assembly to draw up
a new constitution;
Whereas on April 24, 2006, King Gyanendra announced that
he would reinstate the Parliament of Nepal on April 28, 2006, and apologized
for the deaths and injuries that occurred during the recent demonstrations, but
did not address the issue of constitutional revision; and
Whereas political party leaders have welcomed King
Gyanendra’s April 24th announcement and stated that the first action of the
reconvened parliament will be the scheduling of elections for a constituent
assembly to redraft the Constitution of Nepal: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses its
support for the reconvening of the Parliament of Nepal and for an immediate,
peaceful transition to democracy;
(2)commends the
desire of the people of Nepal for a democratic system of government and
expresses its support for their right to protest peacefully in pursuit of this
goal;
(3)acknowledges the
April 24, 2006 statement by King Gyanendra regarding his intent to reinstate
the Parliament of Nepal;
(4)urges the Palace,
the political parties, and the Maoists to immediately support a process that
returns the country to multi-party democracy and creates the conditions for
peace and stability in Nepal;
(5)declares that the
transition to democracy in Nepal must be peaceful and that violence conducted
by any party is unacceptable and risks sending Nepal into a state of
anarchy;
(6)calls on security
forces of Nepal to exercise maximum restraint and to uphold the highest
standards of conduct in their response to the protests;
(7)urges the
immediate release of all political detainees and the restoration of full
civilian and political rights, including freedom of association, expression,
and assembly;
(8)urges the Maoists
to lay down their arms and to pursue their goals through participation in a
peaceful political process; and
(9)calls on the
Government of the United States to work closely with other governments,
including the governments of India, China, the United Kingdom, and the European
Union, and with the United Nations to ensure a common and coherent
international approach that helps to bring about an immediate peaceful
transition to democracy and to end the violent insurgency in Nepal.