Miscellaneous
Victims’ demand alarms civil leaders
Taking serious exception to the 23-point charter issued by umbrella bodies of conflict victims last week, a section of civil society members knocked the door of United Nations resident coordinator to intervene in the matter.Binod Ghimire
Taking serious exception to the 23-point charter issued by umbrella bodies of conflict victims last week, a section of civil society members knocked the door of United Nations resident coordinator to intervene in the matter.
The team led by lawyer Indra Prasad Aryal also submitted its position paper to UN Resident Coordinator Valarie Julliand, claiming that the victims’ proposal to setup a mechanism to take transitional justice process ahead was in fact a conspiracy to derail the process. The mechanism, which will have dominance of the representatives from parties and security forces, cannot ensure justice to the victims, they said.
Om Prakash Aryal, a member of the team, told the Post that it was decided that the entire transitional justice process would be driven at the behest of the perpetrators if the mechanism is formed. “The 23-point charter is sugar-coated poison,” he said. “Though it has incorporated every issue related to transitional justice, its core motive is to conclude the process without prosecution.”
Making public the charter on November 21, coinciding with the 12th anniversary of the signing of Comprehensive Peace Accord, the conflict victims called for establishing a credible mechanism with the participation of all stakeholders to take the transitional justice process to a logical end.
The Conflict Victims Common Platform, which comprises 13 organisations advocating for justice for the victims of the decade-long Maoist insurgency, also advised the government against extending the terms of the two commissions under the current circumstance. It warned of seeking alternative recourse to justice if their terms are extended without making the much-needed reforms to conclude the transitional justice process.
“Unfortunately, some colleagues within the human rights community have been found surprisingly taking leadership in conspiring to abort the main agenda of the human rights movement of Nepal; to provide immunity to the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and other heinous crimes; and to frustrate the witness, evidence and victims of the incidents,” reads the position paper.
The group has also called on all concerned to take initiative in bringing the perpetrators under the scope of universal jurisdiction, stop the entry permit for foreign visits, apply vetting, and expose the conspiracy made with party and personal interests.