'Nepali HR activists face death threat'

"A number of human rights defenders, including journalists, lawyers, NHRC (National Human Rights Commission) staff and local human rights activists, have faced increasing harassment" from security forces and Maoists, the joint statement by Amnesty Inter-national, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists said.

"Human rights defenders have been killed, detained under anti-terrorist legislation, abducted, tortured and threatened, and offices of human rights organisations have been raided," the groups said.