On 8 August 2022, victims and civil society organizations in Nepal submitted a four-column document with concrete suggestions for the reform of the Bill on the “Investigation of the Enforced Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2014” to the members of both the houses of the the Federal Parliament of Nepal.
The submitting organizations have urged all the MPs to rise above any political favour and/or manipulation and discuss, debate and improve the Bill to make it in line with the Supreme Court’s rulings and international human rights standards.
The organizations have identified some key areas of reforms in the bill including the definition of the “serious violations of human rights”, provisions on amnesty and prosecution, formation and the scope of the Special Court and lack of appeal in its decision, lack of clarity on the application of the prevailing laws without ensuring retroactive effects on the law for the crimes committed during the 1996-2006 armed conflict, among others.
The organizations have also submitted the copies of the document to the National Human Rights Commission, to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and to the Chair of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee of the Parliament.
