Nepal's Former Prime Minister Arrested Over Alleged Crackdown on Protests

Nepal's former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and former Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested early Saturday in Kathmandu. According to Ming Pao, the arrests are linked to allegations of ordering a crackdown on anti-government protests by the 'Generation Z' demographic, which took place on September 8 and 9 last year. Reports indicate that Oli has denied the accusations and was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment under heavy police escort. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist), to which Oli belongs, has condemned the arrests as political retaliation and has called for nationwide protests demanding the government's decision be reversed. Demonstrations demanding Oli's release and clashes between protesters and police occurred in some regions on the same day. An official investigation report released this month highlighted that the 'Generation Z' protests, which led to the downfall of Oli's government, resulted in at least 77 deaths. Among the 63 autopsies conducted, 48 individuals died from gunshot wounds, with most shots targeting the head and chest. The report stated that although it could not confirm who issued the order to open fire, Oli and Lekhak failed to take measures to prevent casualties or stop the shooting, attributing the loss of life to their negligence.