Nepal must halt shoot-on-sight policy: UN expert

"The Nepalese government must immediately repeal its 'shoot-on-sight' policy for dealing with demonstrators," said Philip Alston, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

"The government is, in effect, instructing its forces to shoot innocent people, in complete disregard for the right to life," Alston said in a statement.

"In particular, such an approach reflects no attempt to balance the rights to political participation and to freedom of expression and association with any legitimate notion of the need to maintain public order."

Nepal has been rocked by almost three weeks of strikes and violent protests which mark an attempt to end nearly 15 months of absolute rule by the Himalayan country's monarch, King Gyanendra.

At least 14 people have been killed in clashes across the country between demonstrators and the security forces, with hundreds injured and many more arrested.

Authorities have imposed the shoot-on-sight rule in an effort to enforce a curfew.

Alston said that "a full, independent investigation (of the deaths) must be undertaken as soon as possible."

"Under international law, widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population are crimes against humanity," Alston added.

"Members of the police and military who comply with orders to gun down demonstrators will eventually be held to account."