Biratnagar, Aug. 26 -- At dusk on June 17, Mohammad Abbas Ansari stood by the window of his cell at Morang Prison. At the window to his left, another inmate - about his age - was speaking with his mother. From outside the prison wall, she tried to reassure him, "Don't worry too much. Only 34 days left until you're released."

Ansari struggled to hold back his tears.

"I've been here for seven years and four months," he said, wiping his eyes. "So many men I lived with have walked free. Others are counting down the days until they leave. They tell me I'll never get out."

On January 30, 2020, the Morang District Court sentenced Ansari, who was 25 at the time, to imprisonment for the remainder of his natural life after convicting him of rapi...