It added that the remains of a youth have not been found despite two-week-long effort in the suspected burial site where a team of national and international experts began the exhumation on September 6.[break]
An 18-member team led by NHRC member Gauri Pradhan unearthed the mass grave with an aim of discovering the remains of Sanjiv Labh, Durgesh Labh, Jitendra Jha, Pramod Narayan Mandal and Shailendra Yadav. Security forces allegedly killed them in October, 2003.
The constitutional body has already found members of security forces guilty and recommended the government to begin prosecution against them. In February 2009, the Supreme Court had ordered Nepal Police to register and begin investigation into the disappearance. But the court order remains unimplemented.
The national human rights watchdog said it is not yet clear whether the unearthed remains are those of the victims. Only DNA test will provide lead in this regard.
Among the remains unearthed, three are complete skeletons while the head of the fourth skeleton is missing, according to NHRC. The expert team has also found bullets and cartridge alongside skeletons.
In the meantime, commenting on the success in exhumation, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said that the human remains found are extremely useful for experts to conduct DNA analysis to determine the identity of the victims.
“This exhumation is a vital step forward to advance transitional justice and accountability on a key emblematic case of human rights violation related to the conflict. By acting upon the request of families of the disappeared, the NHRC has respected the victims´ right to truth and strengthened their hope for realizing their right to justice,” said Jyoti Sanghera, acting Head of OHCHR-Nepal, which extended logistic and technical assistance to the exhumation.
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