Amnesty Nepal honors Suman Adhikari with Human Rights Defenders’ Award

NL Today

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Kathmandu: Amnesty International Nepal (Amnesty Nepal) has conferred Suman Adhikari, the former Chair of the Conflict Victims’ Common Platform, with its Human Rights Defenders’ Award, 2022 for his relentless and untiring efforts in the struggle for truth, justice and reparations for the tens of thousands of victims of human rights violations in Nepal like himself. The award also carries the sum of Rs 21,000.

Suman Adhikari is the elder son of Muktinath Adhikari, a member of Amnesty Nepal who was brutally murdered by the Maoists on January 16, 2003.

The award was presented to Adhikari during its thirty-first General Meeting (GM) held in Gaindakot of Nawalparasi (East). Around 300 participants including Amnesty Nepal’s voting delegates, members of the National Board and Appeal Committee, staff, former chairs,  observers and other distinguished guests showed their active participation on the one day event.

Badri Prasad Pandey, the newly elected member of the House of Representatives graced the event as the chief guest. Likewise, Lalmani Bhandari, President of Jaycees Nepal was also present as the special guest of the inaugural session.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the General Meeting, Pandey expressed commitment to working towards safeguarding and promoting the agenda of peoples’ rights as enshrined in the constitution of Nepal including through proactive involvement in shaping new legislative measures to give effect to these rights.

Amnesty Nepal Chair Bipin Budhathoki shared his vision of a stronger Amnesty Nepal movement with a robust strategic framework that will make the organization fit-for-purpose in what it does.

Following the conclusion of the closed session, a documentary entitled ‘Deaths Unexplained’ prepared with the support of Amnesty Nepal was screened. The documentary highlights how Nepali migrant workers’ deaths in destination countries are normalized without providing the actual truths of the cause of these deaths attributing them to “natural causes” while bereaved families are not only deprived of the right to know what happened to their loved ones but also are not able to claim compensation for the loss they suffer, according to Amnesty Nepal.