In a joint letter on Tuesday, the rights organizations have asked Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to hold members of security forces and Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoists) accountable for what they called large-scale “disappearances” through criminal prosecutions.
The letter was released during the March session of the UN Human Rights Council where a delegation of victims is due to give testimony before the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, the organization said in a statement on Tuesday.
Both organizations also expressed their disappointment at the government’s failure to table the Disappearances Bill for debate in parliament, passing it by ordinance without public input or debate.
“In spite of promises of a new Nepal, the government has not taken meaningful action on ‘disappearances’ and other gross human rights violations,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Those responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances and other serious abuses should be investigated and prosecuted. Now is the time for the prime minister to live up to his promises and hold perpetrators accountable.”
Similarly, Mandira Sharma, director of Advocacy Forum, said, “We welcomed the disappearances bill, as it is a hopeful step on the road to accountability. “But we are deeply disappointed that the government chose to avoid a national debate on such a key issue. The bill needs to meet international standards to have any chance of success.”
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