Reuters AlertNet - U.S. criticises jailing of former Nepal PM

KATHMANDU, July 28 (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday criticised the 'extra-judicial' jailing of Nepal's sacked prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and said the move would undermine attempts to restore democracy after King Gyanendra seized power.

The Royal Commission for Corruption Control, set up by Gyanendra after he sacked the multi-party government, sentenced Deuba and a member of his deposed cabinet on Tuesday to two years in jail, saying they were guilty of corruption while choosing a contractor for a water supply project.

'Acting outside of the Nepalese judicial system, the Commission served as investigator, prosecutor and judge in this case, ultimately imposing a harsh sentence on the former prime minister for alleged corruption,' Sean McCormack, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said in a statement.

Deuba, a three-time prime minister, is Nepal's senior most politician ever to be jailed on corruption charges.

'Unfortunately, the conviction of the former prime minister through an extra-judicial process represents another setback for the restoration of democracy,' McCormack said in the statement provided by the U.S. embassy in Kathmandu.

The nation's mainstream political parties, fighting to restore democracy, have dubbed Deuba's jailing an act of political vendetta by the king.

In his power seizure on Feb. 1, Gyanendra jailed politicians and suspended civil liberties but justified his move as vital to fight a Maoist insurgency which has left more than 12,500 people dead since 1996 in the impoverished Himalayan nation.

The king's move attracted widespread international flak, including from the United States, Britain and neighbour India.

In continued turmoil, hundreds of students in the capital Kathmandu clashed with police and forced colleges to close on Thursday to protest Wednesday's arrest of a prominent student leader, Gagan Thapa, for criticising the king.

But despite the protests and international pressure, the king is no closer to talks with the parties or the Maoists who want to overthrow the monarchy and establish a communist republic. Sphere: Related Content