Nepal's supreme court ordered the release of three Tibetan exiles being held under a public security law for protesting against China.
A court notice said the judges in their ruling Monday found there was no evidence the three were a threat to the public and ordered the government to immediately free them.
Stating that the detention was against Section 3(1) of the Public Offense Act, 1989, the apex court told the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Police Headquarters and the Kathmandu District Police Circle Hanumandhoka to release them. The bench also observed that the order of the Kathmandu District Administration Office and the detention were illegal.
The Tibetans had been charged with ‘posing a threat to Nepal-China relations.’ The police also claimed they found weapons on the Tibetans, an allegation that the Tibetans denied while talking to reporters on the SC premises saying it was “totally fabricated”.
The exiles were among nearly two dozen Tibetans arrested earlier in March for trying to storm the Chinese Embassy's visa office in the capital Katmandu. Tibetans in Nepal have protested regularly against China since 2008 a source of embarrassment to Nepal's government, which wants strong ties with Beijing and has banned anti-China demonstrations.
Twenty-three exiles were ordered held for 90 days under the public security act, which allows authorities to take action against those determined to be a threat to the public. The three ordered released filed a petition challenging the government decision. The other 20 protesters remain jailed.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Phayul.