Kathmandu, April 15
Three international human rights organisations — Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Commission of Jurists — have accused Nepal government of trying to threaten National Human Rights Commission and its employees. It has requested the government not to threaten NHRC and its employees.
This comes days after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli raised questions with NHRC Chair Anup Raj Sharma and other commissioners about Commissioner Mohana Ansari’s speech at an international forum. At a forum in Geneva, Ansari had talked about the use of state force in the suppression of the Madhesh movement and ‘discriminatory citizenship provisions.’
Nikhil Narayan, senior legal adviser to ICJ (South Asia), said: (Nepal’s) Prime Minister has threatened members of the commission (NHRC). By not letting NHRC discharge its duties independently, the government has disregarded its responsibilities.
The rights organisations accused PM Oli of questioning NHRC members in an aggressive manner and issuing special directives to Ansari.
Champa Patel, director, AI’s South Asia regional office, said PM Oli’s questions were not impartial. Patel accused him of trying to threaten Ansari and reduce the role of the NHRC.
