KATHMANDU, Oct 8: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal is making strides toward finalizing the Transitional Justice Bill. With the parliamentary sub-committee endorsing the transitional justice bill, Prime Minister Dahal has initiated efforts to secure the support of the main opposition leader, CPN-UML chairman KP Sharma Oli, to advance the legislation.

KATHMANDU, Aug 17: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) which were set up to address transitional justice issues, have been without office-bearers for a year. The employees of these two commissions are forced to spend their days without work, just marking their attendance.

KATHMANDU, April 17: Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) Chairperson Rajendra Lingden said the bill framed to amend the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 BS was not in favor of victims.

KATHMANDU, Feb 5: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Friday issued the Commissioner for the Investigation Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (third amendment) Ordinance, 2021.

KATHMANDU, Jan 25: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba have held discussions in relation to the contemporary political situation of the country.

TJ appointments process hits snags

November 30, 2019 08:32 am

KATHMANDU, Nov 30: The process of appointing the commissioners of the two transitional justice (TJ) bodies has hit a snag after the major political parties became divided over the nominees and as both conflict victims and rights activists continue to protests, demanding the initiation of a fresh appointments process.

KATHMANDU, Nov 24: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission Anup Raj Sharma on Sunday accused the government of not being serious towards resolving the much-delayed transitional justice process.

KATHMANDU, Nov 18:  A committee formed to recommend chiefs and members in the two transitional justice (TJ) bodies has named Ganesh Datta Bhatta for head of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Lokendra Mallick for head of the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP).

KATHMANDU, Nov 17: The meeting of the committee formed to recommend the names of the officer-bearers for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) has decided to make public the recommended names on Monday.

When justice fails

September 10, 2019 01:00 am

As justice has been endlessly deferred, the conflict victims will be left with no option but to seek justice outside of the country

KATHMANDU, April 18: United Nations rapporteurs and the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances have expressed serious concerns over lack of impartiality, independence and transparency in the procedures adopted for the appointment of members of two transitional justice mechanisms of Nepal.

Way forward for transitional justice

April 14, 2019 02:25 am

Once again concerns are being raised from victims’ community, human rights organizations and even international community regarding the fate of transitional justice process.  These concerns are legitimate for the transitional justice bodies—Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commissioners of the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) created in 2015 with the mandate of investigating conflict-era cases, establishing the truth, recommending reparation and suggesting ways to prevent reoccurrence of conflict in the future—are going to be nearly defunct from this week onwards.

KATHMANDU, Feb 20: Following the one-year term extension of transitional justice (TJ) bodies, victims of the decade-long Maoist insurgency have demanded the government to overhaul these two bodies in terms of capabilities and performance.

KATHMANDU, Feb 8: President Bidya Devi Bhandari on Friday authenticated the amendment bill on 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons Act-2071'.

KATHMANDU, Feb 8: President Bidya Devi Bhandari authenticated an amendment bill on the 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons Act-2071', on Friday.

Heal the wounds, once and for all

February 7, 2019 02:00 am

Parliament has endorsed the government’s proposal to extend the terms of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) for one more year with a possibility of further extension by one more year on Wednesday.

KATHMANDU, Feb 3: A week before expiry of the extended tenures of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP)— officials at the transitional justice (TJ) bodies say they are compiling the progress they have achieved so far in settling conflict-era cases, in preparation for submitting interim reports to the government.

KATHMANDU, Dec 12: Amid concerns that the government is rendering two transitional justice mechanisms defunct by constituting a political mechanism that would supersede them, Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali said that no such decision has been made yet.

KATHMANDU, Nov 22: A two-day national conference of conflict victims on transitional justice ended on Wednesday, calling for meaningful participation of the conflict victims themselves in the overall transitional justice process and related mechanisms.

KATHMANDU, Nov 21: Communist Party of Nepal leader Bhim Rawal on Wednesday admitted to the dismal performance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons.

KATHMANDU, Oct 5: The chief of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Surya Kiran Gurung, has complained that the government's delay in providing necessary funds and staffers for the transitional justice mechanism has hindered investigation into war-era cases.

KATHMANDU, July 3: The federal parliament on Monday endorsed a bill to replace a two-month 0ld ordinance to extend the terms of two transitional justice bodies - Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP).

KATHMANDU, June 29: The government on Thursday tabled a bill to replace the ordinance introduced two months ago to extend the terms of two transitional justice bodies - Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP).

KATHMANDU, March 30: A meeting of the House of Representatives today endorsed an ordinance presented to amend (first) the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Act.

KATHMANDU, Feb 14: The Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists and Human Rights Watch have said on Tuesday that one-year extension of the two transitional justice mechanisms —  Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP)-- without necessary legal and institutional reforms are not sufficient to comply with international standards in Nepal.

KATHMANDU, Jan 8: As the government on Friday extended the tenure of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), Nepal stating that some more tasks were left to perform, the stakeholders have come for debates whether to extend the tenure or reconstitute both the commissions.

KATHMANDU, Jan 5: The government has decided to extend the terms of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission for the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) for a year.

KATHMANDU, Jan 4: As the extended terms of two transitional justice mechanisms are expiring next month even without accomplishing a small portion of their mandated tasks, the government has started necessary preparations to further extend their terms for a year through an ordinance.

KATHMANDU, Dec 4: Just days ahead of the second phase elections of the federal and provincial elections, CPN Maoist (center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Sunday signed an agreement with the victims of the infamous Badarmude massacre in violation of the election code of conduct. As per the agreement, the families of the deceased and injured would be provided employment or allowances on need basis and a memorial will be constructed in 2/5 acre of land.

KATHMANDU, Nov 20: A team of women surviving the decade-long armed conflict and suffering its effects Monday met with the officials of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) separately for the submission of their "policy level suggestions for women and girls-centered justice and reparation".

KATHMANDU, August 30: Amid the slow pace of its work and the time constraint it faces to probe into the huge number of complaints, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is mulling to establish liaison offices in all 75 districts across the country.

LALITPUR, July 11: Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a catalyst to the peace process in Nepal, has started conducting an investigation into complaints lodged at the district level. The TRC is looking into 58,052 cases lodged from various districts.

SURKHET, June 5: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has started the probe into the cases of rights violation committed during the decade-long Maoist insurgency from Province 6.

KATHMANDU, March 15: Conflict victims staged a sit-in program for an hour in front of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) on Wednesday demanding the transitional justice mechanism to begin detail investigation over the complaints they had filed at the commission.

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: While criticizing the government for its failure to grant real powers to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission for Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), various human rights organizations have said the extension of the terms of the transitional justice mechanisms without amending the TRC and CIEDP Act will be meaningless.

KATHMANDU, Feb 11: Parliamentary Committee on Social Justice and Human Rights has directed the government to make no delay in amending the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission for Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) Act, 2014 in line with the Supreme Court decisions.

KATHMANDU, Feb 10: Social Justice and Human Rights Committee at the Legislature-Parliament has decided to invite Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to discuss the government's preparations to amend the existing act related to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission for the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Person (CIEDP).

KATHMANDU, Feb 9: A Cabinet meeting is taking place to extend the tenure of Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission for the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) for one more year on Thursday.

KATHMANDU, Feb 1: The Supreme Court on Wednesday scrapped the guidelines for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission for putting complaints it has received on hold.

KATHMANDU, Jan 28: Commissioners at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) are voicing contradictory views at a time when less than 15 days remain in the TRC’s original tenure of two-years and  57,753 complaints from conflict victims are still pending with it.

DOTI, Jan 17: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is preparing to investigate into war-era cases in the far-western region by setting up its regional office in Dipayal of Doti.

KATHMANDU, Jan 16 : Suman Adhikari lost his father Muktinath Adhikari 15 years ago when the rebel CPN (Maoist) murdered him brutally in Lamjung. Since then, Suman has been fighting for justice. He has been questioning the state as well as the then rebels.

KATHMANDU, Dec 31: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which has received 57,753 complaints relating to human rights violations of the conflict period, has yet to go through all the complaints even once. In the meantime, the commission, which also has the jurisdiction to study and discover the root causes of the conflict, has yet to start any research on the patterns of the violations and even review literatures on the conflict.

KATHMANDU, Nov 25:The heads of both the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP), have expressed serious dissatisfaction over government apathy toward the two transitional justice bodies.

Act amendment delay stymies TRC

November 19, 2016 00:50 am

KATHMANDU, Nov 19: With just two months remaining in its term, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has not been able to conduct substantive investigations into conflict-related complaints due to delay by the government in amending a crucial Act.

KATHMANDU, Sept 30: Supreme Court on Thursday issued an interim order to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission not to implement its guidelines for putting complaints on hold, pending another court order.

TRC categorizes over 25,000 complaints

September 15, 2016 22:19 pm

KATHMANDU, Sept 15: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has started its preliminary investigation on more than 25,000 complaints among the 53,016 complaints it has received.

KATHMANDU, Aug 31: Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Surya Kiran Gurung has warned that he will not continue in his job if the bill to amend the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and Truth and Reconciliation Commission (CIEDP & TRC) Act is not endorsed speedily.

KATHMANDU, Aug 25: The Social Justice and Human Rights Committee of the parliament has asked the government to draft amendment bill on the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons

No blanket amnesty, Dahal assures TRC

August 16, 2016 02:30 am

KATHMANDU, Aug 16: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has assured the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) that the government and his party are not seeking a blanket amnesty in conflict-era cases of human rights violation.