Feb 26, 2016- Civil society organisations—TRIAL, REDRESS and Advocacy Forum—have launched a joint campaign on Friday to demand justice for victims of international crimes in Nepal.
For one year, these non-governmental organisations will provide space for the victims’ stories, highlighting their plight in pursuit of justice.
The move comes against the backdrop of government’s negligence in compensating the victims of human rights violations and avail them with justice despite United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC)’s repeated accusation on Nepal government for gross human rights violations against its own citizens such as illegal arrests, torture and enforced disappearances.
This campaign, entitled ‘Real Rights Now’, calls on the government to act on the United Nations’ decisions and finally acknowledge the victims’ rights and needs.
The NGOs have submitted 25 complaints before the HRC on behalf of Nepali victims since 2006 out of which 11 have resulted in decisions till date. These decisions sparked great hope amongst the victims, however, they have been disappointed by the government’s lethargy.
“I was overjoyed when I learnt that I had won the case before the United Nationsâ€, explains Ram Kumar Bhandari, whose father was unlawfully arrested. “I thought the authorities were at last going to acknowledge my father’s disappearance, and punish the perpetrators. But that was not the case: more than a year after the decision, nothing has changed for me.â€
Also, another human rights violation victim Yashoda Sharma, whose husband disappeared after he was arrested by the army in 2002, submitted her case to the Human Rights Committee. The committee recommended to locate her husband within 180 days and to compensate the family. Yet, she still deprives of justice.
The campaign ‘Real Rights Now’ calls for the authorities to uphold their international obligations, follow the United Nations decisions and finally bring victims’ long-awaited justice.
