REPUBLICA
KATHMANDU, Dec 8: Devi Sunar, mother of Maina Sunar who was murdered in 2004 during the conflict period, on Tuesday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, expressing her sadness over the government sending Major Niranjan Basnet, a co-accused in the murder, to serve with the UN peacekeeping mission in Chad.
"I am deeply hurt and upset by recent news that the government has sent one of the chief perpetrators, Major Niranajan Basnet, on UN peacekeeping operations," Mrs Sunar said in her three-page letter.
Basnet is one of four army officers accused in the murder of the 15-year old Maina. The case is one of the major human rights violations of the conflict period and is taken as emblematic by the national and international human rights community. Basnet has been facing a suspension order to the army from Kavre District Court for his alleged role in the extrajudicial killing.
Basnet´s status in the army following the court order had remained unknown until Republica* ran a news story on November 27 about his serving the UN peacekeeping mission in the central African country.
Mandira Sharma, executive director of Advocacy Forum, who has been supporting Sunar´s fight for justice, said the open letter was meant to draw the prime minister´s attention to the plight of the victims. "No action has yet been taken against the perpetrators in the Miana case. The letter is symbolic," she said about the letter.
"What kind of justice is this, Honorable Prime Minister?" Sunar asked in her letter about the deployment of Basnet in the UN mission, which is considered a reward.
In the letter, she has hoped that the accused would be arrested upon his return from Chad.
* (Corrected)
Published on 2009-12-08 21:40:46
http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=12668
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