Torture, extrajudicial executions and "disappearances"...

Torture, extrajudicial executions and "disappearances" in Nepal, gripped by a deadly Maoist insurgency, had escalated since peace talks collapsed in August 2003, Amnesty International said in its annual report. The group said security forces and Maoist rebels alike were responsible for the rise in abuses in the Himalayan kingdom where the guerrillas have been fighting since 1996 to overthrow the monarchy and install a communist state.