By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Dec. 11: Unhappy over the human rights situation in the country, despite the existence of various laws and rights bodies to safeguard people’s rights, human rights defenders have said that a lot of improvement needed to be done.
Despite continuous endeavour to promote culture of human rights and laws, the situation of human rights in the country does not present a colourful picture, they shared their worries.
They made such remarks during a virtual progamme organised by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the apex rights body in the country, to mark the 72nd International Human Rights Day in Kathmandu.
At the event, various speakers expressed their concern over the prevailing culture of impunity in the country.
They have asked the government to act without delay to implement the recommendations made by the NHRC, particularly those concerning Nepal’s obligation to investigate and prosecute those accused of serious human rights abuses.
In October this year, NHRC published a report detailing account of 20 years, naming 286 people, mostly civil servants, security personnel and former Maoist insurgents, as suspects in serious crimes.
In its report, NHRC claimed that its recommendations were not being acted upon and it was not getting desired help from the government.
Based on complaints of human rights violation, the NHRC has made 1,059 recommendations to the government since its establishment to provide relief and compensation to the victims and punish the guilty.
The commission has also made 19 policies and 58 case-based recommendations, including ratification of international human rights treaties.
However, of the total recommendations only 10 per cent have been fully implemented, while 40 per cent are partially implemented and remaining 50 per cent remained unimplemented.
As per the report, the recommendation have been implemented in only 13 per cent of cases, partially in 37 per cent cases, while no action has been taken in 50 per cent cases.
Commenting on the NHRC’s report, former Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha expressed his concern overapathy shown by the government while implementing NHRC recommendation.
“The government must understand that respecting human rights would help increase people’s respect to the government,” he said.
He also questioned what makes the political leaders, who once advocated and pledged to safeguard human rights, forget all their promises immediately after they reach the power?
“Human right is not a show piece. The government must respect the human rights,” said Shrestha.
If the authorities responsible to act on NHRC’s recommendations fail to fulfill their responsibility, then they must be penalised like the guilty of human rights violation, he added.
Charan Prasai, senior human right activist, said that impunity continued to exist and the country was witnessing criminalisation of politics and politicisation of crimes.
The situation of human rights has been worsening lately, he added.
Since the government has failed to act upon the recommendations of the human rights violation cases, this has resulted in the incomplete peace process, transitional justice, worsening rule of law and government’s accountability and rise of anarchy and corruption.
Joint-Secretary of the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers Koshal Chandra Subedi said there were legal hurdles while implementing the recommendations of the NHRC related to transitional justice.
There were commissions which were assigned to accomplish the transitional justice process, said Subedi, adding that the government couldn’t intervene their procedures.
“ NHRC issued the report in haste without consulting with the government,” he added.
Govinda Sharma, another rights defender, said making human rights violators accountable for their offense would further strengthen government and democracy.
The rights defenders have further asked the government to allow a credible and victim-centric transitional justice process, which upholds international legal standard, including effective accountability and reparations, and allow it to proceed without political interference.
The rights defenders have also expressed their worries that the two transitional justice mechanisms failed to complete the assigned jobs which meant that the issue of transitional justice was not being addressed.
Meanwhile, the NHRC announced to present this year’s Dayaram Pariyar Human Rights Memorial Award to rights activist Dr. Renu Adhikari, founder Women Rehabilitation Centre.
Similarly Human Rights Award would be presented to journalist and human rights defender Jhalak Gaire of Nepalgunj.