Nepal
Nepal
Right | Section | Contents |
---|---|---|
Freedom of Association | History | The Nepal Interim Government Act of 1951, put into effect after the Revolution of 1951, proclaims that all citizens have the right to form associations and unions. This is found under Section c of Article 17: Fundamental principles of law (Nepal 1951, 3)
Nepal. 1951 “The Interim Government of Nepal Act, 1951” Constitutionnet https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/1951%20Constitution%20English.pdf |
Freedom of Expression | History | The 1948 Constitution of Nepal grants citizens the right to freedom of speech in Article 4. This was amended in the 1959 Constitution in Article 7a to freedom of speech and expression, and then amended again in the 2007 Interim Constitution of Nepal in Article 13 Section 3a to freedom of opinion and expression. The 2015 Constitution is consistent with the wording in 2007.
References: Constitution of Nepal, 1948. British and Foreign State Papers (1956), World Constitutions Illustrated, HeinOnline: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.cow/zznp0020&i=1 Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal, 1959. Government, ConstitutionNet (consulted 2018), World Constitutions Illustrated, HeinOnline: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.cow/zznp0017&i=1 Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2007. Supreme Court, World Constitutions Illustrated, HeinOnline: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.cow/zznp0001&i=1 Constitution of Nepal, 2015. Embassy of Nepal to Germany (consulted 2016), World Constitutions Illustrated, HeinOnline: https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.cow/zznp0004&i=1 |
Freedom of Religion | History | Freedom of religion was mentioned in Nepal’s first constitution of 1948 in Article 4 which stated that “[s]ubject to the principles of public order and morality, this Constitution guarantees to the citizens of Nepal… freedom of worship…” (Hein Online). Freedom of religion is now protected under Article 26 Section 1 of the current constitution which states that “[e]ach person shall be free to profess, practice, and preserve his/her religion according to his/her faith” (constituteproject.org).
“Nepal 2015 (Rev. 2016) Constitution.” Constitute. Accessed July 26, 2023. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_2016. "Part III: The Executive." Constitution of Nepal. Katmandu, 26th January, 1948., 1948, pp. 658-660. HeinOnline, https://heinonline-org.uc.idm.oclc.org/HOL/P?h=hein.cow/zznp0020&i=3. |
Freedom of the Press | History | Part II of Nepal’s 1948 Constitution originally protected press freedom: “Subject to the principles! of public order and morality this Constitution guarantees to the citizens of Nepal freedom of person, freedom of speech, liberty of the press, freedom of assembly and discussion, freedom of worship, complete equality in the eye of the law, cheap and speedy justice, universal free compulsory elementary education, universal and equal suffrage for all adults, security of private property as defined by the laws of the State as at present existing and laws and rules to be made hereunder” (Constitutionnet, “Constitution of Nepal Effective April 1, 1949” ). Today, Article 19 of Nepal’s 2015 Constitution protects press freedom: “There shall be no prior censorship of publications and broadcasting, or information dissemination, or printing of any news item, editorial, article, feature, or other reading material, or the use of audio-visual material by any medium, including electronic publication, broadcasting and printing" (Constitute Project, “ Nepal’s Constitution of 2015 with Amendments through 2016” ). |
Privacy Rights | History | The 1990 constitution was the first to protect privacy as a fundamental right. In Article 22: “Except as provided by law, the privacy of the person, house, property, document, correspondence or information of anyone is inviolable” (Constitution Net, “The Constitution of Nepal 1990” ). In the 2015 constitution, the same language is used in Article 28 (Constitute Project, “Nepal 2015 rev. 2016" ).
https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Nepal_ 2016? lang=en https://constitutionnet.org/sites/default/files/ 1990_ constitution_english.pdf |
Voting Rights and Suffrage | History | Under Article 84, any Nepali citizen who has attained the age of 18 years has a right to suffrage. The House of Representatives consists of 165 members to be elected through the post electoral system and 110 elected through a proportional representation electoral system. The National Assembly is voted upon by local elected leaders according to Article 86. According to Article 62, members from The National Assembly and The House of Representatives make up an electoral college to elect the President. (Constitute Project, “ Nepal’s Constitution of 2015 with Amendments through 2016” ). |