KATHMANDU: Four International Human Rights Organizations have said that Nepal has failed to fulfill its commitment to provide justice to the victims of the country’s decade-long armed conflict.
Issuing a joint statement on Monday, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Human Rights Watch, and TRIAL International echoed statements by victims and human rights groups about the Nepal government’s inaction on addressing conflict-era human rights violations and a lack of transparency in the appointment of commissioners to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and to the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances.
“We have seen no evidence so far that the authorities of Nepal are serious about fulfilling their obligation to investigate conflict-era violations and bring all those suspected of criminal responsibility to justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts,” the statement said.
“If the commitment to human rights obligations was as unflinching as claimed by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the government would have acted diligently to deliver on its transitional justice responsibilities.”
The organizations called on the government to suspend the current process, and initiate a consultative and transparent process for the nomination and appointment of commissioners; follow through on commitments to amend the 2014 transitional justice law to ensure that the legal framework is consistent with international human rights standards and Supreme Court rulings; and adopt and publicize a plan for taking the transitional justice process forward.
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