"The curfew, the ban on demonstrations, Thursday's mass arrests and severe communication restrictions are all attempts by the government to silence peaceful and legitimate political protest, which is needed now more than ever in Nepal," said Nicholas Howen, secretary-general of the International Commission of Jurists. "If peaceful political debate is prohibited, there will never be an end to Nepal's 10-year civil war." Since 1 February 2005, when King Gyanendra assumed all executive authority with the army's support, fundamental rights - including freedom of assembly and expression, the right to information and the right to be free from arbitrary detention - have been suspended, the statement added. "Thursday's arrests are an attempt to suppress any vocal opposition to the king, or his attempts to win legitimacy by holding elections," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "Silencing the leadership, the King hopes, will silence the people. Such actions belie his stated belief in democratic principles and the rule of law." http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2006/jan/jan20/news12.php