During the State of Emergency declared in February 2005 by King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, there was widespread suppression of fundamental human rights. Despite the restoration of the government in April 2006, and the signing of the peace agreement, human rights violations continue to occur and go unpunished and those responsible for previous attacks have not been brought to justice.

In her report on the situation of human rights defenders, the UN SRSG states, “Human rights defenders in Nepal work on a range of issues, and many are involved in monitoring and investigation of human rights violations committed by both sides in the conflict. These activities include monitoring conditions in jails, investigating killings and “disappearances”, investigating reported cases of rape, and cases of intimidation and torture”. Defenders carry out general human rights work as well as focusing on more specific issues including LGBT rights and women's rights as well as campaigning against censorship and caste discrimination. The UN SRSG also regrets that some defenders have been forced to work clandestinely and others have left Nepal in order to carry on their human rights work in relative safety. In May 2006 the Nepalese government annulled an order relating to a Code of Conduct for NGOs, following its initial suspension by the Supreme Court, as it had been criticised both by national and international human rights organisations.