KATHMANDU, Nepal: Nepal´s ex-prime minister KP Sharma Oli offered a defiant message on Thursday after he was released from custody following questioning over his alleged role in a deadly 2025 crackdown on protesters. Oli and former interior minister Ramesh Lekhak were arrested on March 28, a day after Prime Minister Balendra Shah took office following the first elections since the September uprising brought down Oli´s government.
Lekhak was also released from custody on Thursday, police said. Neither man has been formally charged, and both deny responsibility for the violence.
“Although the government filed a criminal case with prejudice and vindictiveness and illegally detained me... I have finally been released after not having enough grounds and evidence to prosecute,” 74-year-old Oli said in a statement posted on social media.
