The national and international human rights community, including Amnesty International, have again urged to the government of Nepal to arrest four accused in the alleged torture and killing of Maina Sunar, the 15 years old schoolgirl, killed in February 2004 during the conflict period.
On the sixth anniversary of the torture and killing of Maina on 17th February 2010, six national and international human rights organizations- Accountability Watch Committee, Insec, Advocacy Forum, Amnesty International and International Commission of Jurists, have jointly expressed their concern over alleged obstruction of criminal proceedings in Maina´s case by Nepali authorities. They urged the authorities to stop obstruction of criminal proceedings in the case.
They wrote an open letter to Attorney General Bharat Bahadur Karki on the same day, drawing his attention to obstruction of the criminal proceedings and urging him to stop such obstruction.
“Maina´s death has come to embody the widespread injustices and failure of accountability experienced by thousands of Nepalis today”, the human rights organizations said in a joint statement.
The four army officers are accused of subjecting Maina to prolonged simulated drowning and electrocution with a 220 volt current that led to her death. Her body was secretly buried and was later exhumed at an army barracks where Nepali UN peacekeepers are trained.
Kavre District Court has ordered the arrest of army officers Bobby Khatri, Amit Pun, Sunil Adhikari and Niranjan Basnet – the four accused in connection with the killing, though the government is yet to enforce the court order. The Nepal army (NA) is not handing over only serving officer Basnet to police as ordered by the court. Another court order to suspend Basnet is yet to be honored by the army.
Robert Godden, Asia Pacific Campaign coordinator of Amnesty International,said that all parties including state and non state should bring into justice for their work against humanity. Addressing a press conference organised to unveil a report on her death on 17 February Godden said the failure to arrest and prosecute those charged with Maina’s murder reveals weakness in the Nepali justice system and demanded that the government ensure that those accused of killing.
Mandira Sharma, director of Advocacy Forum Nepal, asked the bodies concerned to end every type of impunity and to ensure the rule of law in the country. She added that the case indicates multiple failures of the government to investigate and prosecute those responsible for Maina’s murder along with hundreds of others during the country’s decade-long conflict between the Maoists and the government.
“The authorities must provide justice for Maina Sunar and should be answerable for the incident,” said Sharma .
The report has recommended that the government produce Major Basnet immediately in the KDC and has sought an order to the NA to fully cooperate with the Attorney General.