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Impunity in Nepal Blocks Peace Process
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
January 16, 2010: The International Crisis Group says both the Nepalese government and the Maoists have made commitments to investigate disappearances and address human-rights issues but no action has been taken; impunity has been the major problem in Nepal according to the voanews.com.
The ten-year long conflict has killed about 13,000 people and disappeared more than 1,000 but ended with a peace agreement in Nepal in 2006.
The International Crisis Group says the top priorities need to be prosecuting the most serious crimes, investigating disappearances, and vetting state and Maoist security forces; the United Nations needs to do more to lead the way towards bringing an end to impunity. The U.N. Mission in Nepal set up in 2007 to support and monitor the peace process has been losing its credibility in the country. "Large numbers of Nepali officers join international peacekeeping missions around the world. In many cases those same officers have been accused of abuses at home," he said. "I do not think it is acceptable for the U.N. to be giving often very lucrative, very prestigious positions to people who have abused their own citizens at home."
Nepal analyst at London-based research group Chatham House, Charu Lata Hogg says bringing those responsible for abuses in Nepal to justice will serve as a deterrent in a nation wracked by violence. "Prosecutions and bringing an end to impunity are intrinsically linked up to the future peace in Nepal, however, the structure of Nepal's judiciary, police force, and army stands in the way of prosecution, " said Hogg.
"The way the political culture in Nepal has evolved in which there is extreme corruption - the bureaucracy is over laden, the attorney-general's office is not independent, the judiciary is not independent and is under political influence - is another important factor which has created a situation of rising impunity and no actual violations being tried," said Hogg.
For detailed news visit http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Report-Says-Impunity-in-Nepal-Blocks-Peace-Process-81526647.html
