KATHMANDU: A top UN human rights official has urged Nepal to end the culture of impunity in the country and punish armymen involved in torture of innocent people in the Himalayan nation.
"11,000 Nepal Army soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in Haiti received peace medals last week. It would be regrettable if the positive image gained by the Army through such service abroad were to be tarnished by resistance to accountability at home," observed Loise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a statement.
The case of 15-year-old Maina Sunuwar presents a significant opportunity for the Nepal government to send a signal that the culture of impunity is ending, says Richard Bennet, Representative of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), quoting High Commissioner Arbour.
Bennet also urged the government to form an independent and credible commission to investigate the cases of disappearance on people during the decade-long insurgency in the country.
Sunuwar was tortured and raped under army custody before she died in February 2004 when she was taken into custody from her home in Kavre district, 80 km east of Kathmandu.
Although the army said it took disciplinary action through court martial and imprisoned four guilty officers for few months human rights groups say the punishment was insufficient and have demanded another trial in civilian court
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/End_culture_of_impunity_in_Nepal__UN/articleshow/2790226.cms
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