KATHMANDU, Aug 30: A prominent human rights body has called upon the government to guarantee the rights to truth, justice, and reparations for the families of victims of enforced disappearances during the Maoist insurgency.
Issuing a press statement on the occasion of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances on Wednesday, Advocacy Forum-Nepal (AF) has appealed to the Government of Nepal to ensure the rights to truth, justice, and reparations for the families of the victims of enforced disappearances. It has also urged the international community to continue raising the voice for victims' rights to truth and justice in Nepal.
Nepal's conflict victims demand disclosure of the fate of those enforced disappeared during the 10-year armed conflict. The 2006 Comprehensive Peace Agreement pledged to reveal the victims of disappearances within 60 days, but this commitment remains unmet even after 17 years.
Criminalize cases of torture and enforced disappearance: Confli...
The Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) were formed in 2015 amidst controversies. However, the CIEDP has not clarified the fate of any enforced disappeared person to date. The fulfillment of the victims' demand to know the truth about their loved ones and to achieve justice has long been overdue. The government, with its delaying tactics, has so far remained apathetic to the plights of the families of the "disappeared" victims.
Given that the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act (TRC Act) contains several problematic provisions that effectively deprive conflict victims of justice, the victims and civil society organizations have demanded that the government amend the Act in line with the Supreme Court of Nepal's rulings and the country's international obligations. A Bill for the Amendment of the TRC Act is under consideration in the Federal Parliament, but it has failed to incorporate the concerns of the victims.
The conflict victims have urged the government to revise the definition of enforced disappearance in the Amendment Bill, aligning it with the recommendations made by the victims and stakeholders in various consultation meetings with government authorities. The press statement from Advocacy Forum-Nepal emphasizes the need for the government to amend the definition of enforced disappearances to align with Nepal’s international obligations and the Convention on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
The rights body has also called for the fulfillment of the immediate needs of the victims and genuine efforts from the government and political parties to amend the transitional justice law in line with the demands of the victims and civil society.
