Appointment Of Human Right Commissioners
By KTM Metro Reporter
September 20, 2013: the government of Nepal should expeditiously appoint qualified, independent, and new members to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Nepal, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. On September 16, 2013, the terms of all commissioners of the NHRC lapsed.
“Effectively dismantling the National Human Rights Commission is a deliberate blow by the government to human rights at the most critical time since the end of the civil war,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “With political parties publicly opposing investigations and prosecutions into rights abuses, it is enormously important for the one government body dedicated solely to protecting human rights to be able to operate.”
The commissioners had drawn the attention of the government of Nepal to the ending of their terms months ago and had called on the government to find new appointees so that NHRC would not be left without commissioners. However, the government chose to let NHRC be without commissioners.