CONFLICT VICTIMS AND RIGHTS BODIES WORRIED ABOUT INCREASING TREND OF IMPUNITY

International Day of the Disappeared

Conflict victims and human rights organizations expressed their worried over the increasing trend of impunity in Nepal. Family members of a decade long armed conflict who were gather to mark the international day for the disappeared together with most of the front line human rights organizations expressed their concern during different programs from 28 to 30 August.

The international day of the disappeared is marked on the 30 August every year to commemorate those who have disappeared. As Nepal has witnessed serious problem of disappearance during the decade long armed conflict with the highest number of disappearance in the world in 2003 and 2004, and over 1383 missing so far, the issue of disappearance, unfortunately, has been relevant for the campaign. Therefore, human rights organizations working at national and international level decided to join hand together with the family of the victims to mark the International Day of the Disappeared by organizing 3 days campaigning activities in collaboration. The collaborating organizations were Advocacy Forum Nepal, Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance (AFAD), Amnesty International (AI), Collective Campaign for Peace (COCAP), Conflict Victim's Society for Justice (CVSJ), Conflict Victim Orphans Society (CVOS) HIMRIGHTS, Human Rights Alliance, INHURED International, Human Rights and Democratic Forum (FoHRID), Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), International Commission of Jurist (ICJ), International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), National Network of Families of Disappeared and Missing Nepal (NEFAD), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and TRIAL. The National Human Rights Commission also participated in every programs managed by all other organization while the event that managed by the NHRC itself was jointly organized by NHRC and all those organization named above.

Among the event taken place during the three days campaign, representatives of victim association and human rights organizations submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister through Chief Secretary on 28 August.

On the second day, two different events took place. The first event was jointly managed by INSEC and Advocacy Forum in which two different reports were launched. The first report was Standard on the Exhumation prepared by Advocacy Forum and the second was The Disappeared Victim's Profile prepared by Insec. The second program of second day was managed by Amnesty International in which it launched and distributed a video to highlight how state has been failed to ensure justice for the victim family of the disappearances. The launch of the video was combined with post card and petition signing events.

Similarly, two different events taken place on the third day too. The first event of the day was an interaction program managed by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in which an interaction between Nepal government representatives, family of disappeared and human rights defender was taken place. The interaction was combined with the NHRC's work so far on exhumation of conflict victims.

The second program of the day was an interaction and launch of the poster managed by the victim associations. The third event of the third day was an illumination in which Diyo (the traditional Nepali lamp) were lit placed in a shape of 1350.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IN ACTION
Amnesty International Nepal took part actively along with other like- minded organizations to mark the international day of the disappeared.

On the occasion AI Nepal released a video 'The Significance of Justice' on 29th of August 2011. The video has highlighted the case of disappearance of 5 young boys (Sanjiv Kumar Karna, Jitendra Jha, Durgesh Kumar Labh, Pramod Narayan Mandal and Shailendra Yadav) in Dhanusha. Indira Jha (mother of Jitendra Jha), Naresh Labh (brother of Durgesh Kumar Labh), Ram Avtar Mandal (father of Pramod Narayan Mandal) and Bimala Devi Karna (mother of Sanjiv Kumar Karna) jointly launched the video amid a presence of families of disappeared came from different district of Nepal, representatives of human rights community different walk of lives.

The video has illustrated how the state has failed to ensure justice to family of the disappeared despite of their commitment and legal obligations. The short film also illustrates the political opposition, from both sides of the conflict, to holding individuals responsible for such crimes to account. It includes interviews with the brother of one of the disappeared, the lawyer working on the case, and the Maoist Home Minister.

On the occasion, Deputy Director of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Achyut Acharya, President of NEFAD Ram Kumar Bhandari, President of CVSJ Janak Raut, mother of disappeared student Bimala Devi, advocate Govinda Sharma Bandi, General Secretary of AI Nepal Rasmila Bhochhibhoya and Director Rameshwar Nepal shed lights the situation of impunity in the country.

The speakers criticized the four-point deal between UCPN (Maoist) and United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) before the Prime Ministerial election which proposed withdrawal of cases filed against those allegedly involved in crime during and after armed conflict.

'It is the responsibility of judicial body, not of Nepal government, to give verdict whether the allegation is true or false' they said.

http://www.amnestynepal.org/campaigns/ai-nepal-activities/conflict-victims-and-rights-bodies-worried-about-increasing-trend-of-impunity.html