By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, June 27: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has urged the government to initiate action against the perpetrators of torture.
Issuing a statement on the occasion of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on Saturday, the NHRC said other than compensating the victims, the government had done very little to bring the perpetrators to book.
The NHRC said it had been monitoring and investigating the cases of torture since its establishment two decades ago.
“The rights body had investigated and made recommendations to the government regarding thousands of cases of torture dating back to the Maoist insurgency period. But the government has done very little to bring the perpetrators to book besides compensating the victims,” read the statement.
It is also monitoring the prisons and custody rooms for the protection of the rights of prisoners, NHRC said.
During the monitoring, the commission has repeatedly recommended the government to upgrade existing amenities in prisons and guarantee basic human rights, including sanitation, drinking water and other conditions. Prisons in Nepal are crammed with inmates beyond their holding capacity.
“Recently, the commission has received complaints that men have died due to torture in Jumla, Rautahat, Chitwan and other districts in the name of arresting and seeking information,” NHRC said.
The Constitution of Nepal, the National Criminal Procedure (Code) Act, 2017 and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 1984, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantee the right against torture.
At the same time, Nepal has repeatedly expressed its commitment in international forum to control torture.
“Therefore, the commission urges the government to refrain from committing inhumane and criminal acts such as torturing a person from anywhere and to bring the perpetrators of torture to justice,” NHRC said in its statement.