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Rights Activists Welcomed The Ruling Of SC On Not Granting Amnesty To Criminals
By KTM Metro Reporter
January 11, 2014: The Supreme Court of Nepal on Thursday, January 2, 2014 ordered the government to form a separate Commission on Enforced Disappearances (CED) citing its 2007 verdict in the case of Rajendra Dhakal disappeared by the State in 1998. The apex court asked the government to form a separate Commission on disappearances, according to the news on ‘gorkhapatraonline.com’.
Moreover, the SC also gave the direction to the government that no amnesty should be granted to serious human rights violators during the conflict. The court ordered that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) should meet international standards, including guarantees of autonomy and impartiality, and ensure the protection of victims and witnesses in consultation with wider civil society’s organizations and victims groups.
Stakeholders of transitional justice stated that the January 2 verdict of the Supreme Court gave a new hope to all victims of conflict that they will get justice eventually.
Speaking at a National dialogue on Transition Justice held by Transitional Justice Resource Center and World Vision Advocacy Forum (WVAF) in Kathmandu on Thursday, January 9, 2014, advocates said that now Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Disappearance Commission will be formed in the favors of victims.
Daman Nath Dhungana, senior human rightists defender, viewed that all political parties made promises externally in the formation of TRC but they have no any enthusiasm to move forward.
Hanna Singer, country representative of the United National Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said that after the violence everywhere across the world, there was right of justice; the United Nations has been just playing supportive role in the justice providing process.
Sadhu Ram Sapkota, joint-secretary at the Ministry of Peace and Reconciliation stated that conflict victims could not get justice even after a long period of Comprehensive Peace Accord owing to the gap between real victims and the government bodies. There is no any barrier on legal provision to provide justice for the victims if the political parties build a consensus on it, Sapkota added.
On behalf of the victims, Devi Sunar: mother of Maina Sunar, said that verdict given by the SC was indeed in favor of victims. However, she added that access to justice was still not satisfactory.
Barsa Man Pun, former Minister for Peace and Reconciliation also a leader of UCPN-Maoist said that his party agreed to form the commission on the reconciliation of serious human rights violations during the conflict.
On the occasion, advocates, Sapna Pradhan Malla, Agni Kharel and Dinesh Tripathi blamed the political leaders for lacking the political willpower for not resolving the issues of transitional justice.
About 17,000 people were killed and 1,300 recorded as disappeared in the 10-year-long armed conflict that ended in 2006. Number of affected people reaches one hundred thousands.
