INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

Kathmandu, November 26 Nepal has made no substantial progress on questions of justice, truth, and reparations for victims of gross human

rights violations and abuses during its 10-year conflict, the International Commission of Jurists, Amnesty International, Human Rights

Watch, and TRIAL International said today

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement to end the war was signed on 21 November 2006. While two commissions have been set up to address

conflict-era atrocities, they have not been effective, and impunity and denial of access to justice to victims remain prevalent. Issuing a

joint press statement, the four rights organisations said they were particularly concerned about the recent moves that suggest the

government would move ahead and appoint commissioners without making necessary legal reforms to framework. &Last week marked the 13th

anniversary of the CPA that ended the conflict in Nepal

It is astonishing that so little progress has been made in responding to the clearly articulated concerns and demands of conflict victims,&

said Frederick Rawski, ICJ Asia-Pacific director

&These demands include a transparent and consultative process for the appointment of commissioners, and genuine effort by political leaders

and lawmakers to address serious weaknesses in the existing legal framework.& On 18 November 2019, a five-member committee formed by the

government to recommend names for commissioners to be appointed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on the

Investigation of Enforced Disappearances published a list of candidates. Victims and civil society have raised concerns that the government

will simply reappoint past commissioners or make political appointments and the process will not be adequately impartial and

independent. &It is deeply disappointing that the government had repeatedly attempted to appoint commissioners without adequate consultation

and transparency

The commissions will not gain trust of the victims and the international community if the political parties continue to interfere in the

appointment process,& said Biraj Patnaik, South Asia director at Amnesty International. Importantly, the move suggests that the commissions

will be re-constituted without amending the legal framework governing the transitional justice process and ensuring its compliance with

Nepal international human rights law obligations, as directed by Nepal Supreme Court and demanded by civil society and the victims. &The

government move has not only undermined victims& role in the transitional justice process, but has also once again brought into question its

commitment to upholding its international law obligations and ensuring justice for conflict-era crimes,& said Tomás Ananía, TRIAL

International Nepal programme manager. All four organisations reiterated their call to amend the Transitional Justice Act to make it

consistent with the SC rulings and international human rights standards, as well as for the initiation of a genuine consultative and

transparent process for the appointment of commissioners. &After initial pledges to ensure truth, justice, and reparations for conflict

victims, it appears that the government is once again determined to protect those responsible for the crimes,& said Meenakshi Ganguly, South

Asia director at HRW

&The international community should remind Nepal that whitewashing egregious crimes will not help to dodge universal jurisdiction.& The post

International rights watchdogs concerned about justice for victims appeared first on The Himalayan Times.