Rights Defenders and victims families’ single voice
Human Rights Defenders and representatives of conflict victim’s families emphasized that law or mechanism lacking the minimum international human rights standards aimed at establishing truth and delivering justice will not be acceptable to them.
In a talk program organized by Amnesty International Nepal on the 3rd May 2012 titled ‘No Amnesty but Punishment to the Perpetrators: Ensure Justice to the Victims’, Chaireerson of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Kedar Nath Upadhyaya has urged Government to adopt internationally approved provisions in the soon-to-be formed Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and Commission on Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances (CID). He said that Government should implement the recommendations made by the NHRC in this regards.
On the occasion, veteran human rights activist and former Chairperson of AI Nepal, Krishna Pahadi said that the present government is like a violator of human rights. He also blamed to the political parties that ‘all are forgetting their commitments made by them in front of people.’
Binaya Dhwaj Chand leader of Nepali Congress and conflict victim himself said, “The government and political parties are doing nothing in favour of conflict victims”. He further added,’ Maoist is main perpetrators of the past conflict but they are getting relief package from the state.
Chairperson of National Network of Families of the Disappeared and Missing (NEFAD), Ram Kumar Bhandari said ‘we are not worry on the agreement to merge TRC and CID but we should get justice. It is the important part.’
He warned ‘truth without justice will not only be called into question, but this will not be acceptable to us. The community of victims will be compelled to reject such meaningless transitional justice laws and mechanisms.’
On the occasion, president of Conflict Victim Orphan Society Suman Adhikari said ‘ instead of making the bill victim-friendly and that of international standard, the merger of commissions and granting of enormous powers to the commissioners has led to the suspicion that the commission would not be able to address victim’s demand for justice.’
Likewise, Chairperson of AI Nepal Hem Kumar Khadka, Advisors Krishna Kandel and Lokesh Dhakal, Chair person of Human Rights and Peace Society, Hom Kant Choulagain, National Executive Committee Member of AI Nepal Yashoda Kumari Upadhyaya and others also shed light on the subject matter.