LALITPUR, Feb 20: The human rights organization Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC) has accused the government of failing to curb killings and rights violations by non-state actors.
Among a total of 255 killings in 2017, the state was responsible for the killing of 11 individuals whereas non-state killings numbered 214, with 30 killings still unaccounted for, according to Human Rights Year Book-2018 published by the rights organization.
According to the report, there were fewer killings from the stateside compared to previous years. It criticized the government for failing to tackle those involved in non-state killings.
80% of victims of violence are women: INSEC
“Going through details from across the country, the state seems a bit more cautious in violating human rights, mainly through killings, but it has largely failed to control crime,” said Prakash Bhattarai, a human rights scholar.
The report says that cast-based discrimination is still rampant and Dalits and Janajati people suffered the most during the report period. It has expressed serious concern over growing incidents concering freedom of expression. The report states that voiceless people such as households, farmers and students are victimized the most in course of seeking justice.
INSEC has been documenting cases of human rights violation since 26 years. The report released on Thursday amid a function in Lalitpur has pointed out that institutions established for justice delivery are weakening of late, posing a serious challenge to the protection of human rights.
“Why is the judiciary losing its previous standing? Someone of high integrality should have taken charge of the apex court after the retirement of Sushila Karki. Why did it take three months to publish the poll results?” asked Sushil Pyakurel, former member of the National Human Rights Commission.
Human rights activist Pyakurel opined that the human rights movement can't move ahead effectively until and unless the pillars of democracy, mainly the mechanisms established to deliver justice, are strengthened.
Releasing the report, former chief justice Sushila Karki alleged that the past government had rewarded bad people instead of the deserving. “The new government has just been formed. so I will not criticize it right now. But I will certainly respond depending on its performance,” said former CJ Karki. Fifty percent of the problems in the country will be resolved automatically if the government functions responsibly, she added.
She criticized the government for failing to punish middlemen and those involved in rape.
