The Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL) of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has condemned the arrest and disappearance of lawyer, Shyam Kumar Shrestha, calling for his immediate release. Shrestha, a member of the Nepal Bar Association, was arrested by security forces at 9PM on 23 October at his Bagh Bazar residence. Security forces put Shrestha in a taxi, stating they were taking him to Maharajgunj for questioning. Inquiries by the Nepal Bar Association at the Home Ministry and human rights investigation bodies within the army and the police has not yielded information on his whereabouts. ICJ/CIJL has denounced the killings and an increase in disappearances by the security forces, and abductions by the Maoists since the end of the ceasefire in August.