At least 29 people have died in custody, and 22 others have allegedly been tortured in Nepal since 2024, according to a report released on Friday by Amnesty International Nepal and Advocacy Forum-Nepal, which accused the government of failing to prevent torture and ensure accountability.

Released to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the report says torture and other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment continue in police custody, prisons, child correctional homes and other detention facilities, exposing deep structural failures in Nepal's criminal justice system.

The two human rights organisations said repeated custodial deaths, coupled with the government's failure to conduct independent investigations and prosecute those responsible, have entrenched a culture of impunity.

According to Advocacy Forum, the most recent custodial death occurred on June 13, when 21-year-old Shabir Baksh died in police custody in Surkhet. In April, 23-year-old Shree Krishna BK died while in custody in Sindhuli. Rights bodies said both deaths were accompanied by allegations of torture.

The organisations said detainees from Indigenous and Dalit communities continue to face disproportionate risks of torture and abuse because of entrenched caste- and ethnicity-based discrimination. They cited the deaths of Ramkishan Chaudhary, 56, and 21-year-old Dutraj Tamang in 2025 as further evidence of the vulnerability of marginalised communities in detention.

"Torture is absolutely prohibited under international law and Nepal's own Constitution, yet incidents of custodial torture continue, and custodial deaths remain its most grave, visible manifestation," said Nirajan Thapaliya, director of Amnesty International Nepal.

"Survivors and families continue to be denied justice while those responsible rarely face consequences."

Thapaliya said the government's failure to independently investigate torture and prosecute perpetrators has created a dangerous culture of impunity, particularly affecting marginalised communities whose access to justice is already limited.

The organisations said concerns extend beyond police stations and prisons. They alleged that excessive use of force by security personnel during forced evictions and public protests, including the Gen Z demonstrations in September 2025, has resulted in torture and other forms of ill-treatment of people under state control.

They also pointed to the deaths of five children in police firing at a child correctional home in Banke during the Gen Z protests, saying children remain particularly vulnerable to abuses while in state custody.

Not all deaths in custody are linked to torture, the organisations noted. Some result from poor detention conditions, inadequate healthcare and chronic overcrowding. They cited an outbreak in Sunsari prison in August 2025, where three inmates died within four days from a viral infection while hundreds of others fell ill, raising serious questions about prison healthcare.

The two human rights watchdogs welcomed a recent Sankhuwasabha District Court verdict sentencing 15 people, including seven police personnel, to life imprisonment over the 2023 deaths of two inmates at the district prison in Sankhuwasabha. Police had initially claimed the inmates died in a fight among prisoners, but the investigation concluded that they were assaulted after being recaptured while allegedly attempting to escape.

The conviction, the organisations said, demonstrated the importance of prompt and independent investigations and prosecution before civilian courts.

Amnesty International Nepal and Advocacy Forum also criticised Nepal's handling of torture committed during the 1996–2006 armed conflict, saying thousands of survivors—including victims of rape and sexual violence—continue to be denied truth, justice and reparations.

Although Nepal has established three transitional justice commissions over the years and amended the transitional justice law in 2024, they said concerns remain that existing legal provisions could still shield perpetrators of serious human rights violations.

They also criticised the six-month statutory limitation for filing torture complaints under the National Penal Code, arguing that it effectively denies justice to conflict-era torture survivors and falls short of international human rights standards, under which torture should not be subject to any statute of limitations.

"The failure to address torture committed during the armed conflict has entrenched a culture of impunity that continues to undermine accountability today," said Bikash Basnet, executive director of Advocacy Forum-Nepal.

"Ending torture requires more than legal prohibitions. It requires truth, justice and reparations for victims, independent investigations, and meaningful accountability."

The two organisations urged the government to amend the National Penal Code to remove the limitation period for torture cases, independently investigate all allegations of torture and custodial deaths, implement outstanding recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and ensure truth, justice and reparations for conflict-era victims.