ICW Action Alert Update
The 39 arrested Metis have now been release, read below for the brief report of their harrowing experiences.
Police arrested 39 metis (male transvestites) in Kathmandu on the night of 9 August, on the street and in public places including bars and restaurants. All are now held in Hanuman Dhoka police station, in Kathmandu. They were reportedly given no food or drinking water for their first 15 hours in custody, and have not been charged with any offence. Other metis are known to have been beaten and raped in police custody, and these 39 are in grave danger. ICW encourages members and supporters to urge the release of the Blue Diamond Society members.
Brief report of experience of Metis of their last 13 days:
According to the arrested metis, all of them were taken saying that they were being taken for a meeting and needed them to identify the guy who'd been caught under the suspicion of Jayaram's case. Some of them were dancing inside Babylon disco and most of them were on their way to the disco. The police that were their clients took them and most of them were ones that they knew from before. They went with them because they approached them in a friendly manner and told them that they were all being taken for two hours meeting.
After they were taken they were all kept in a room that wasn't even big enough for five people and said they would be freed after questioning them. Most of the metis that were arrested were just out to enjoy themselves in the discos and wanted a night of dancing.
Inside the prison on the first day when one of the metis wanted to use the bathroom they didn't open the door and when he yelled at them to take him to the bathroom they beat him up with a stick till it broke. Due to this he suffered from fever and was all shaky and even after seeing his state the police didn't take him to see the doctor or get any medications for him. Three police came and when he asked them for the medicine they said we'll get it and later just laughed. So Blue Diamond Society had to take the medication for him after being informed.
The police also beat up another meti, Amber Majhi who was attacked by three police after he protested after seeing a journalist videotaping them inside the cell. This was yet another discrimination from the police, they violated the rights of all the metis by letting the media expose them when there are a lot of metis that haven't opened themselves at their homes and could face difficulties later.
There was a lot of verbal harassments from the police, they called them names and said they will shoot them when they protested against being locked up for being innocent. They also said that
Police arrested 39 metis (male transvestites) in Kathmandu on the night of 9 August, on the street and in public places including bars and restaurants. All are now held in Hanuman Dhoka police station, in Kathmandu. They were reportedly given no food or drinking water for their first 15 hours in custody, and have not been charged with any offence. Other metis are known to have been beaten and raped in police custody, and these 39 are in grave danger. ICW encourages members and supporters to urge the release of the Blue Diamond Society members.
Brief report of experience of Metis of their last 13 days:
According to the arrested metis, all of them were taken saying that they were being taken for a meeting and needed them to identify the guy who'd been caught under the suspicion of Jayaram's case. Some of them were dancing inside Babylon disco and most of them were on their way to the disco. The police that were their clients took them and most of them were ones that they knew from before. They went with them because they approached them in a friendly manner and told them that they were all being taken for two hours meeting.
After they were taken they were all kept in a room that wasn't even big enough for five people and said they would be freed after questioning them. Most of the metis that were arrested were just out to enjoy themselves in the discos and wanted a night of dancing.
Inside the prison on the first day when one of the metis wanted to use the bathroom they didn't open the door and when he yelled at them to take him to the bathroom they beat him up with a stick till it broke. Due to this he suffered from fever and was all shaky and even after seeing his state the police didn't take him to see the doctor or get any medications for him. Three police came and when he asked them for the medicine they said we'll get it and later just laughed. So Blue Diamond Society had to take the medication for him after being informed.
The police also beat up another meti, Amber Majhi who was attacked by three police after he protested after seeing a journalist videotaping them inside the cell. This was yet another discrimination from the police, they violated the rights of all the metis by letting the media expose them when there are a lot of metis that haven't opened themselves at their homes and could face difficulties later.
There was a lot of verbal harassments from the police, they called them names and said they will shoot them when they protested against being locked up for being innocent. They also said that