On January 17, it will be 22 years since educator and activist Muktinath Adhikari was brutally murdered by the then Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) cadres in Lamjung for allegedly refusing to pay donations back in 2002. Twenty-two long years on, his family, and many like his, still await justice for his murder.
To commemorate his life and activism, two organizations — Muktinath Adhikari Memorial Foundation and Amnesty International Nepal – are organizing a memorial programme on 17 January from 2pm to 4pm at the Alfa Beta Complex in Baneshwar, Kathmandu.
“It’s deeply disappointing that even after 22 years, the government has failed to investigate the gruesome killing and provide truth and justice to the family. Thousands of vicitms of conflict-era human rights violations like me have suffered too long, and the undue delay and indifference of the government in resolving the issues of transitional justice is adding salt to our injuries,” said Suman Adhikari, the eldest son of late Adhikari. “It’s both painful and shameful that the victims continue to suffer without truth, justice and reparations for all these years.”
“Adhikari was a valuable member of the Amnesty movement in Nepal, and his death was a vicious attack against human rights defenders. As we mourn the brutal killing of late Muktinath Adhikari on January 17, we rieterate our demand for the victim-centric resolution of the transitional justice process in accordance with the rulings of the Supreme Court and international human rights standards,” said Nirajan Thapaliya, director of Amnesty International Nepal.
The brutal murder of Muktinath Adhikari is emblematic of the several thousand human rights violations committed by both the State and CPN (Maoist) during Nepal’s decade-long conflict. He was abducted by a group of Maoist cadres from a classroom, taken to a nearby hillock, tied to a tree and then killed by stabbing and shooting in his head. At the time, Adhikari was serving as the Principal at Panini Sanskrit School in Duradanda, and was also the coordinator of a local group of Amnesty International Nepal in Lamjung.
Following a memorial ceremony, an interactive session entitled “संसदमा विचाराधीन संक्रमणकालीन न्यायसम्बन्धी ऐन संशोधन विधेयकका विषयहरूको पीडित केन्द्रित समाधान” (Victim-Centric Resolution to the Issues of the Transitional Justice Act Amendment Bill Pending in the Parliament) is scheduled. The session will see a discussion on how a victim-centric approach to the transitional justice process is the only way to ensure justice is delivered. The victims and activists have long been consistently calling out for speedy resolution of the unfinished agenda of truth, justice and reparations which remains stalled even after almost 18 years of the end of the conflict.
The memorial programme will be attended by the members of the Adhikari family, relatives, activists, people’s representatives and political leaders from different parties, journalists, and civil society members.
Hon. Hari Krishna Karki, Former Chief Justice, will be the chief guest of the program, while other special guests include Bimala Subedi, Chairperson of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee of the Parlimanent and members of the Committee Hon. Jeevan Pariyar, Hon. Santosh Pariyar, Hon. Ranju Kumari Jha; Hon’ble Maina Karki, Member, House of Representatives; Agni Kharel, former Minister for Law and Justice and Standing Committee Member of the CPN-UML; Murari Prasad Kharel, Secretary, National Human Rights Commission; among others.