A recent report by US government has said that there has been some improvement in the human rights situation in Nepal following the success of the April movement.
The ‘Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices’ released by the US State Department, however, expressed its concern over continuation of abduction, extortion and violence by the Maoists even after the ceasefire and peace agreement.
“There has been some improvement in the human rights situation since the transition of power on April 27. Government abuses decreased substantially, while Maoist abuses, such as abduction, extortion, and violence, continued relatively unabated,” the report added.
The report further said that members of the security forces and the Maoists committed numerous, grave human rights abuses during the year, adding, “Arbitrary and unlawful use of lethal force, including torture, as well as disappearance, occurred frequently.”
The report also expressed concern over continued culture of impunity in the security agencies.
The government failed to conduct thorough and independent investigations of reports of security force’s brutality and generally did not take significant disciplinary action against those involved, the report said.
“The Nepali Army (NA) stated it had reviewed 179 cases of alleged torture, presented by the UN, but the National Human Rights Commission had not received information regarding disciplinary action taken by the NA in these cases,” the US report said.
Following the cease-fire on April 27, corruption and impunity remained a problem in the police force, the report said. Although a few police officials accused of abuses were removed from their posts, human rights groups reported that these individuals were promoted or re-assigned as advisors at the home ministry, it stated.
Similarly, the US has also drawn attention of the government and the Maoists for not initiating the process of identifying and locating landmines despite their agreement to do so.
“The November 21 peace agreement called for all landmines to be identified and located within 30 days and removed completely within 60 days. At year’s end, there had been no indication that this process had started,” the report added.
The report further said that there were more than 117 civilian casualties, with 23 resulting in death, from accidental explosions of landmines or improvised explosive devices during the year.
The report has expressed US concerns over the Maoists not living up to their commitments to return previously seized property. “Maoists continued to seize property after the cease-fire declaration in April.”
On the issue of internally displaced people, the report said, although the government and Maoists agreed to support the safe and dignified return of IDPs to their homes, the agreement was not implemented.
“The law prohibits torture, beating, and mutilation; however, security forces regularly engaged in such activities to punish suspects or to extract confessions, especially before the popular uprising in April,” the report said.
The report further said that prison conditions were extremely poor and did not meet international standards.
“Due to a lack of adequate juvenile detention facilities, children sometimes were incarcerated with adults as criminal offenders or were allowed to remain in jails with their incarcerated parents due to lack of other available options,” the report added.
The report expressed concerns over the operation of Maoist’s people’s court. “In July, Maoist Supremo Prachanda claimed he had ordered Maoists people’s courts to stop functioning in urban areas, although such courts continued to function across the country,” the report said, adding, “According to international observers, after Prachanda’s July declaration, Maoists extended the people’s courts into villages where they had not previously been present.”