[JURIST] Nepal Friday released former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and 17 others held since King Gyanendra [BBC News profile] dismissed the elected government and seized power on Feb. 1 [JURIST report]. Several other leaders still remain under house arrest, including Nepal's first elected prime minister, Girija Prasad Koirala, and opposition leader Madhav Kumar Nepal. The Nepalese government has come under increasing international pressure in the past month to restore civil liberties eliminated when Gyanendra imposed emergency rule. Gyanendra has said that he dismissed the government due to its inability to halt a Maoist rebellion since 1996. A government spokesperson said Thursday that rights would soon be restored [JURIST report]. AFP has more.