Amnesty International Nepal and Advocacy Forum-Nepal have expressed serious concern over the failure of the Nepal government to prevent deaths in government custody and detention. On the occasion of the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Amnesty International has noted that the government's actions to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment are insufficient. The Constitution of Nepal, the Criminal Code of Nepal, 2074 BS, and obligations under the UN Convention against Torture explicitly prohibit torture. However, they said that incidents of torture and ill-treatment continue to occur in police custody, prisons, juvenile detention centers, and other places of detention, and that these abuses, frequent deaths in custody, and the failure to hold perpetrators accountable highlight deep structural failures in Nepal's criminal justice system. This has led to a culture of impunity in Nepal, which has led to the government's tendency to tolerate and ignore human rights violations.   

Advocacy Forum-Nepal has documented 29 deaths and 22 cases of torture in Nepal's custody since 2024. On Jestha 13, 21-year-old Shabir Baks died in police custody in Surkhet. Earlier, on Baisakh 7, 23-year-old Shree Krishna BK also died in police custody in Sindhuli. The death of Shree Krishna BK in custody, as well as the deaths of 56-year-old Ramkishan Chaudhary and 21-year-old Dutraj Tamang in custody in 2025, have exposed the vulnerability of marginalized communities in custody,  the statement said.  

'Torture is completely prohibited under international law and Nepal's own constitution. However, cases of torture in custody continue and deaths in custody are exposing the most serious forms of torture,” said Nirajan Thapaliya, Director of Amnesty International Nepal. “Victims and their families are consistently denied justice and those responsible for torture are rarely held accountable.”