23 July 2012. National and international human rights bodies including AWC, OHCHR, HRW, AI and ICJ have requested the government for not acting upon Nepal Army’s recommendation of promoting Colonel Raju Basnet to the post of Brigadier General. Colonel Basnet has been credibly implicated in serious human rights violations during the conflict.
OHCHR-Nepal in its report released in 2006 and NHRC’s recommendation in 2009 have expressly pointed out the then Lieutenant Colonel Raju Basnet’s involvement in torture and disappearance of several people arrested and detained as Maoist suspects at Bhairabnath Battalion in Kathmandu, the joint statement reads. Basnet led from the front in committing serious human rights violations as a commanding officer of the Battalion from 2003 to 2005. The Supreme Court also corroborated the allegation against Basnet by ordering the government for carrying out independent investigation into and prosecution of the case, OHCHR maintains.
This incident is merely the freshest instance of impunity which enjoys its field day in Nepal. Not a single perpetrator implicated in wartime crimes has been prosecuted till date. Nepal Army routinely evades accountability of its officers by refusing to hand its tainted officers over to the investigative authority. Emblematic case of human rights violation like that of Maina Sunuwar has also not seen any of the officers alleged of violations being prosecuted by a civilian court as the army steadfastly protects its officers and pleads for their innocence all the time. Government’s failure to exercise civilian authority over the army has encouraged the latter to undermine human rights obligations and rule of law with felicity.
On the one hand government keeps promising to national and international community to address impunity while on the other hand provides impunity to the perpetrators. Government neither investigates nor prosecutes any one involved in any of the human rights violations. It protects the accused, not the victim!
