Govt to consult NHRC on OHCHR's tenure

KATHMANDU, June 22: Prime Minister Madhav Nepal on Monday said the government will extend the term of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nepal (OHCHR-N), after September 9 only after consulting with the National Human Right Commission. [break]



The prime minister said it during a meeting with a group of human rights and civil society leaders at his office on Monday.



“I am in favor of strengthening the National Human Rights Commission. The government will listen to the NHRC before taking a decision on OHCHR´s tenure,” said human rights lawyer Govinda Bandi, who was present in the meeting, quoted the prime minister as saying.



The human rights activists called on the prime minister to draw his attention to a host of burning human rights issues, including formation of a disappearance commission and truth, peace commission and reconciliation commission, among others. In addition, the issue of the extension of OHCHR tenure also featured in the meeting.



The human rights activists had suggested the prime minister to extend OHCHR´s term by two years, according to Bandi. But the prime minister told them that the term of the OHCHR-Nepal and UNMIN should be linked with the peace process, hinting that extension of their tenures would be decided on the basis of the time needed to take the peace process to a logical conclusion.



Since its establishment in 2005, initially for a two-year term, OHCHR-Nepal´s tenure was extended for two years in 2007 and three months in 2009. Its current term is expiring on September 9.



During the meeting, human rights activists asked the government to arrest retired Colonel Boby Khatri and Maoist leader Agni Sapkota for their alleged involvement in the murder of 15-year-old Maina Sunwar and Arjun Lama, respectively. The Supreme Court has already ordered the government to arrest Khatri and Lama for investigation.

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