KATHMANDU: The United Nations (UN) has welcomed Nepal’s adoption of new transitional justice legislation, marking a significant step in the nation’s journey towards accountability and reconciliation.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk expressed support for the amendment bill, titled the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth, and Reconciliation Commission Act.
This legislation aims to ensure truth and accountability for serious human rights violations committed by all parties during Nepal’s civil war.
Türk confirmed that the UN Office is prepared to assist Nepal as it advances this crucial phase of the peace process. In a statement issued in Geneva, he remarked,
“Eighteen years after the end of the decade-long conflict and following several previous attempts to finalize such legislation, victims of human rights violations are now closer to discovering the truth, accessing justice, and obtaining reparations.”
He also praised Nepal for becoming “a regional and global example of a successful peaceful transition towards democratic, constitutional, and federal governance.”
According to Türk, “Transitional justice is a powerful instrument to break cycles of violence and impunity, and a unique opportunity to address some of the deep-rooted inequalities and discrimination that contributed to the conflict.”
The House of Representatives (HoR) and the National Assembly (NA) have both endorsed the bill.
The HoR passed the Bill related to the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Third Amendment), 2081 on August 14, and the NA approved it on Thursday.
Having originated in the HoR, the bill will be sent to the President for authentication after certification by HoR Speaker Devraj Ghimire.
Once authenticated by the President, the bill will become an Act and come into force.
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