In observing the 58th anniversary of the beginning of the Amnesty International’s human rights movement on 28 May, Amnesty International Nepal hosted a panel discussion entitled “Current State of Civil Liberties and Fundamental Freedoms in Nepal”. The programme was participated by people from different sectors including civil society, media, international community, and government agencies.
Panelists included Hon. Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel, Chair of Law, Justice and Human rights Committee of the House of Representatives, Hon. Mohna Ansari, member of the National Human Rights Commission, Hari Sharma, Chief Executive Director of Alliance for Social Dialogue, prominent political analyst and columnist CK Lal, and Govinda Acharya, president ofthe Federation of Nepali Journalists. The discussion was facilitated by Babita Basnet, Editor of Ghatana ra Bichaar.
Amnesty International Nepal’s Director Nirajan Thapaliya set the scene of the discussion by highlighting how the rise in populism worldwide coupled with the rising intolerance and the “othering” of the voices of dissent in many parts of the world including Nepal is a cause for concern as these tendencies are resulting in the curtailment of civic spaces for people to openly come forward and raise their voices. Thapaliya viewed that the hasty, non-participatory and non-consultative approach in which the government is registering bills without giving due consideration to the public concern exacerbates the concern, and therefore the need to start a civil dialogue in order to prepare for reclaiming the shrinking civic space.
In the panel discussion that followed, the panelists shared their views focusing on pertinent human rights issues around the current bills tabled in the parliament that have received widespread criticism from civil society and media.
In response to concerns from the audience regarding the controversial bills that could potentially curtail individual freedom, freedom of expression and independence of the National Human Rights Commission, Hon. Krishna Bhakta Pokhrel assured the audience that no bills would be passed that would infringe on civil liberties and fundamental freedoms.
Further discussions revolved around the need for the civil society to continuously act as watchdog of the government to ensure it is accountable to people at large and delivers its obligation to protect and promote human rights. The need to provide space for dissent as an integral component of any democratic process was also acknowledged by the panel.
Prior to the programme, Amnesty International Nepal showcased a video depicting Amnesty’s evolution as a human rights organisation across the globe since its inception 58 years ago.