Kathmandu: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has expressed deep concerns about the lack of tangible progress on transitional justice in Nepal.
In a statement on Tuesday, it said, “We remain deeply concerned at the lack of tangible progress on transitional justice, which was a key commitment under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) signed on 21 November 2006.”
Successive governments have committed to advancing the transitional justice process through an open, consultative and victim-centric approach. But these commitments have not been implemented, it said in the statement.
Concretely, there has been no progress to amend the transitional justice legal framework in line with Nepal’s obligations under international law and the principles established by Supreme Court rulings in 2014 and 2015, reads the statement.
The commitments set out in the peace deal included establishing the truth about the conduct of the conflict and ensuring that victims receive both justice and reparations. But this goal has remained elusive, and repeated attempts to circumvent the process have resulted in a loss of trust, especially among victims’ groups and civil society, according to the statement.
OHCHR has urged the government to pursue a truly fair, comprehensive and transparent transitional justice process that is able to gain the trust of key stakeholders and ensures accountability for grave violations, as well as truth, justice and reparation for victims.
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