Washington, Apr 7: Strongly condemning the arrests and detention of political leaders in Nepal, the United States has urged the royal government to immediately release all the people held for voicing their opposition to the ''autocratic rule'' in the Himalayan kingdom. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters here that the United States is seriously concerned about Nepal's banning of public gatherings and the detention of opposition political party and civil society activists.

''We are seriously concerned about the government's ongoing curbs on civil liberties and human rights, which has led to serious unrest in Nepal. The arrests and harassment of pro-democracy activists violate their fundamental civil rights,'' he added.

''Dialogue between Nepal's constitutional political forces, the King and opposition political parties, is the only effective way to return Nepal to democracy and address its insurgency. Such a dialogue is not possible in the climate in which freedoms of assembly and speech are suppressed,'' Mr McCormack said.


UNI