ICJ protests Basnet's term extension

KATHMANDU, Oct 28: The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) on Thursday urged the government to reverse its decision to extend the tenure of Colonel Raju Basnet, who faces allegations of human rights violations during 2003-2004 when he commanded the Nepal Army´s Bhairabnath Battalion.



The government had extended Basnet´s term last week. [break]



The ICJ also called on the UN Human Rights Council and other key international actors to meaningfully address the failure to combat impunity in Nepal.



"In this respect, the Human Rights Council must use the opportunity of the upcoming session of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva in January 2011, where Nepal will undergo a comprehensive review to assess its human rights performance," ICJ, a global body of lawyers, judges and jurists, said.



Douglass McCrae, the ICJ´s Nepal representative, said that the government´s latest action is emblematic of two aspects of impunity in Nepal.



"First, there is a persistent failure to investigate and prosecute serious crimes under international law. Second, it is patently obvious that the government does not vet its military and police personnel based on human rights concerns. Both aspects of impunity are grave and disappointing in light of Nepal´s history and the justice aspirations of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement," McCrae said.

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