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RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUALS FOR SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT
RISE AGAINST IMPUNITY
The Practice of torture by the security forces, the police, and the maoists continues in Nepal despite the gains of the people 's Movement of April 2006. Existing legislation, particularly the interim constitution and the torture compensation act, fails to properly criminalise acts of torture. Though many personnel of the security agencies genuinely believe in respecting human rights, the Nepal Army and the police have not adequately addressed the prevalent use of torture and other degrading treatment. In addition, the political elite has failed to offer leadership and guidance to rid Nepal of its torture problem. For example, though the torture compensation act is being revised, politicians are not holding discussions with relevant stakeholders about the reforms needed.
With the end of absolute Royal rule following the people's movement of April 2006 and the resulting peace agreement that ended hostilities between the maoists and the Govt., Nepalis hoped for a NAYA NEPAL characterized by the rule of law, respect for human rights, and democracy. However, one year after the Historic Jana Andolan, Nepal still suffers from an enormous deficit in Human Rights protections. Torture still continues, the culture of Impunity reigns, and Victims continue to suffer from the Mental and Physical wounds of Egregious human rights violations and abuses.
Facing Impunity: The need for transitional justice and urgent reform
Unquestionably one of the primary challanges that Nepal currently faces is tackling the culture of impunity. To date, the government has failed to properly investigate and prosecute a single case of extra judicial execution, enforced dissapearance or torture. Despite changes in leadership the NA has failed to co-operate with the investigations about the fate of hundreds of disappeared Nepalese and other cases of human rights violations. The police has lacked the courage and professionalism to perpetrators of violation to justice. Moveover popular demands for a comprehensive transitional justice mechanism have also been ignored. Therefore, because perperators of human rights violations continuously enjoy impunity and victims are routinely denied justice, popular confidence in the potential success of the peoples' movement is waning.
Nepal currently stands at the cross-roads between a future that honors and enforces human rights and the rule of law and a future that merely perpetuates past inaction and abuse. One year since the so called re-emergence of democracy in Nepal, it appears that the political leadership has merely allowed the human rights practices of the pre-jana andolan era to continue indefinitely into the future. However the desires for democracy articulated in peoples' movement and the demands from Nepalese to live in a country characterized by the rule of law must not be lost in the noise of political bockering. Torture and the depreviation of fundamental human rights can never be justified. It is now time for Nepal and all Nepalese to finally learn this lesson.
नेपालीमा पढ्नु होस् .....
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