6 March 2024, Kathmandu: Advocacy Forum-Nepal (AF) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) launched a report on Nepal’s transitional justice process today.
The 50-page report, “Breaking Barriers to Justice: Nepal’s Long Struggle for Accountability, Truth and Reparations,” describes the decades-long struggle for justice by survivors and victims. AF and HRW analyzed the proposed law and reviewed some emblematic cases that faced obstruction by the authorities. They also described obstacles to justice faced by survivors of sexual violence, and relatives of victims who filed complaints in 62 cases of conflict-era extrajudicial killings with the assistance of Advocacy Forum. The bill requires amendments to meet victims’ needs as well as legal standards set by the Supreme Court, and clearly established in international law.
“If the transitional justice bill is passed without appropriate amendments, it risks hindering the search for justice,” said Bikash Banet, director of Advocacy Forum. “If it is appropriately amended, it can be the basis for a meaningful, nationally owned process that upholds the rights of victims and benefits all Nepalis by strengthening institutions and the rule of law.”
