Kathmandu, March 24
Three international human rights organisations have urged Nepal to amend the new transitional justice bill saying the bill, as it is, does not protect victims but abusers.
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists say the bill does not fully meet the country’s domestic law or international legal obligations and will not provide justice for victims if adopted in its current form.
“The bill will not adequately provide for the effective prosecution of serious crimes under international law,” the organisations say in a statement today, “It should be revised to comply with Nepal’s Supreme Court rulings and international human rights law and standards.”
“In addition, the revision process should ensure adequate consultation with conflict victims about the content of the proposed legislation.”
“Key provisions of this bill appear to be designed to shield alleged perpetrators from prosecution for some of the most serious crimes under international law,” Dinushika Dissanayake, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for South Asia, is quoted in the statement. “If it is rushed through parliament without significant changes, it cannot be the basis for a process that has the support of conflict victims, nor legal credibility at home or abroad.”
The government recently drafted the bill and registered it in the parliament as concerns about transitional justice issues are coming to the fore once again.
