Issuing a press statement on Sunday, Conflict Victims Orphan Society (CVOS) has said that the peace process in Nepal cannot be said to have been completed unless the civilian victims are provided with justice. CVOS has said that restoring sustainable peace in the country could just be a far-fetched dream if the conflict victims do not get justice.[break]
While hundreds of unarmed civilians were killed either by the Maoists or by the security personnel, more than 1,400 persons had been disappeared during the conflict.
Likewise, nearly 5,000 were physically tortured, properties of 6,000 others were seized unjustly and nearly 80,000 people were displaced from their hometowns in the course of the armed insurgency.
Stating that the management of former Maoist combatants is an important achievement of the ongoing peace process, CVOS has alleged that the state had always put the issue of providing justice to civilian victims, who were not part of conflict, on the backburner. “The state, which only understands the language of violence, strikes and pressure tactics prioritized the management of former combatants fearing dangers from them. But it is regrettable to find the state and political parties showing insensitivity toward the conflict victims, who have not employed pressure tactics and are not deemed as “threats”,” said the statement undersigned by CVOS President Suman Adhikari.
While criticizing the controversial provisions of the proposed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which aims at granting general amnesty to even those involved in serious cases of human rights violations during the conflict, CVOS has also demanded formation of a victims-centric TRC. “Peace process can never be completed without justice to the conflict victims. An entire part of the peace process still remains to be completed,” read the statement.
CVOS has asked the government to provide justice to millions of civilian conflict victims and make the guilty accountable to their deeds to ensure sustainable peace in the country. It has also asked the government and political parties to revise the proposed ordinance on TRC and Disappearance Commission so as to provision adequate reparation and end the culture of impunity.
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