30 January, 2020
Amnesty International’s annual report on human rights situation titled ‘Human Rights in Asia Pacific: A review of 2019’ was launched at a programme in Kathmandu on 30 January. The report presents a detailed analysis of human rights developments in 25 countries and territories.
Amnesty Nepal Chair, Bikram Dhukuchhu, formally launched the report at the event attended by the media, civil society and Amnesty members. Amnesty Nepal’s Director, Nirajan Thapaliya, presented a summary of the report’s findings.
Thapaliya spoke about how the rise of populism and the politics of demonisation across the globe have led to mistreatment of minorities by the state, citing China’s detention of Uyghurs and India’s clampdown on Kashmir as examples.
In Nepal, the report as Thapaliya explained, found that the government attempted to shrink individual freedom by proposing a series of legislations and actions which would curb various fundamental rights. There were also increased efforts to restrict the activities of civil society organisations. In 2019 the Nepali state failed to make any significant progress on the issue of transitional justice for thousands of conflict victims.