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| Kathmandu, Friday December 20, 2002 Paush 05, 2059. |
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AI report calls for Int’l
action over rights violations in Nepal
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Dec 19:The Amnesty International (AI)
has seriously indicted both the government and the Maoists drawn in a seven-year long
violent conflict for the gross violation of human rights that includes torture and killing
from both the sides.
In its final report made public today, the
London-based human rights watchdog, has charged that the security forces have killed many
people including civilians and innocents in the name of ‘encounter with Maoists’
while some women detained have been raped and threatened.
The AI report also holds Maoists responsible for
abduction, torture and killing at least 800 people during the period under survey. As the
state apparatus including the judiciary and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
appear weak, it has approached the UN Secretary General and other international agencies
engaged in the field of human rights to have some international arrangements to monitor
the human rights situation in Nepal.
The report has also told the NHRC to see to it
that the Nepal government invites UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or
arbitrary executions and working group on arbitrary detention, along with special
rapporteur on torture.
Stress has been laid on the need to rule out
impunity to offenders by undertaking a number of measures including strengthening of
judiciary and NHRC. It has also suggested appointment of special rapporteur for Nepal.
The suggestions come in the wake of worsening
human rights scenario ever since the peace talks broke down in November 2001. This
coincides with the deployment of the army and imposition of the state of emergency.
The report, which cites instances of gory
violence perpetrated on detainees, says 4,326 people were killed out of which 4,050 were
‘Maoists’. The report is based on data provided by Ministry of Home and the
Royal Nepal Army.
Compare this with 2,700 killed during the same
period the previous year. Cases of senior army personnel raping the woman detainees and
pathetic lot of innocent people detained and tortured under draconian law, too, have been
included.
Most horrifying are the instances of security
agencies denying they arrested anyone even if the relatives of the detainees move Supreme
Court against the arbitrary arrests, even as they allow the relatives to meet the
detainees. Instances of disappearing detainees are additional hallmarks of the security
system.
The report has come down heavily against the
government for failing to curb human rights violations by members of the security forces.
The report said it is the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment)
Act-2002, which gives immunity to the security personnel against any possible indictment
for human rights violation.
Since the impression is that neither the Supreme
Court nor NHRC have succeeded in stemming rights violation, the report has suggested
international assistance to help the concerned agencies.
The report, which was compiled by AI team after
visiting mid and far western parts of the country in September and sub-titled "Time
for International Action", will be tabled at the UNHCR meeting, scheduled through
March 17 to 25, 2003 in Geneva.
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