Amnesty International (AI), a leading international rights watchdog, has said ten years of war and political instability have turned the human rights situation in Nepal into one of the worst in the world.

In its latest report entitled “A decade of suffering and abuse” made public on Friday, the London-based rights watchdog said the international community has a critical role to play in reversing the decline.

“The people of Nepal have lived through far too much violence already. Without urgent action from the international community and all parties in Nepal, a new generation will grow up knowing nothing but bloodshed and conflict,” said Irene Khan, Secretary General of the Amnesty International.

Secretary General of the Amnesty International Irene Khan (Photo source : answers.com)

There has been a sharp escalation of violence in recent weeks with police using excessive force against those protesting against municipal elections held on 8 February, which were widely seen as an attempt by the King to legitimise his rule. There are fears of further violence as the tenth anniversary of the war — 13 February — draws closer, the statement said.

On top of widespread abuses of human rights related to the conflict, the government has restricted basic civil liberties over the last year, causing the situation to deteriorate further. In the last few weeks more than 1,500 people have been arrested for either organizing or participating in political demonstrations, according to reliable estimates. On 8 March one protester was shot dead by police, the Amnesty said.

More than 12,000 people have died since the Maoists declared a “people’s war” on 13 February 1996. Hundreds more have ‘disappeared’, been tortured, abducted, raped or recruited as child soldiers. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes behind to live in miserable conditions in temporary housing, the statement added.

“Over a decade of conflict we have seen the human rights situation steadily worsen, with increasing numbers of civilian killings and injuries and, for a time, the highest number of reported ‘disappearances’ in the world,” said Irene Khan.

Amnesty International has reiterated its call to the Nepali government to ensure that its security forces are not allowed to get away with killings and other abuses. Perpetrators must be prosecuted and their victims allowed justice. The organization also called on the Maoists to take all possible measures to ensure that civilians are never harmed.

“The international community has a critical role to play in preventing further deterioration of the human rights situation,” said Irene Khan. “They need to continue to pressure the government to respect human rights and to meet their obligations under international law — including by restoring basic freedoms such as the right to peacefully demonstrate.”

The international community should review Nepal’s participation in peacekeeping operations abroad, given what it called the Royal Nepalese Army’s poor human rights record at home, the organization said. Amnesty International reiterated its request of February 2005 and called on those foreign governments that continue to supply weapons to Nepal to impose an arms embargo until the human rights situation has significantly improved.

“It would be easy for this conflict to slip off the political agenda given how long it has been going on, but for the sake of the people of Nepal for whom it is a daily tragic reality, the world must remain engaged and keep up the pressure on the government and the Maoists,” said Irene Khan.

The authorities are yet to comment on the latest statement by the reputed international organisation.

Vice-chairman of the Council of Ministers, Dr Tulsi Giri, has said that the government is working to hold the parliamentary elections which is a must to resolve the problems the country is facing.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the first national conference of the Federation of National Journalists (FENAJ), the second man in the royal cabinet Dr Giri also said that parliamentary elections are needed to check possible judicial anarchy in the country, according to reports.

“According to the constitution, the SC has the right to check the monarch’s powers, but in the absence of a parliament there is no one to check judicial anarchy,” he said.

Dr Giri however said that the government has accepted the Supreme Court’s verdict and scrapped the Royal Commission for Corruption Control (RCCC). “This is proof enough that the rule of law exists in the nation,” he said.

The royal appointed vice-chairman Dr Giri said the monarch has not violated any constitutional provision and challenged to produce evidence of any autocratic act of the government.

At a when democratic forces and foreigners are pointing out the need of consensus among the King and political forces to tackle the Maoist insurgency, vice-chairman Giri said he does not believe that reconciliation between the king and the parties can curb terrorism.

“I also do not believe that the so-called democratic rule can control terrorism. See how the world’s largest democracy, India, is suffering,” he said.

“I am not ready to accept the argument that the entire problem will be resolved once the King and the parties join hands,” Giri said, adding, “If that were so, why did the terrorist problem intensify when the King and the parties were together between 1996-2005?”

He ruled out the possibility of conditional dialogue with the parties and said that the parties’ stance on talks with the monarch was not clear.

Speaking at the conference of journalists who support the February 1 royal takeover, he said nationalist journalists have come up with a commitment to fight against misleading information.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has informed that five youths who were believed to be taken into custody by security forces on October 8, 2003 from Janakpur municipality-4, were killed in security operations on the same day in Janakpur area.

The NHRC informed family members that Sanjeev Kumar Karna, Jitendra Jha (Machhli) and Durgesh Lav from Janakpur municipality, Pramod Narayan Mandal of Kurtha VDC-1 and Shailendra Yadav of Duhabi-7, were killed during security operations, according to Kantipur daily.

Earlier, their relatives had been frequently requesting national as well as international human rights organizations to make their whereabouts public and save their lives.

The NHRC confirmed their death quoting the human rights cell of Royal Nepalese Army.

Relatives of the deceased made the letter public at a press meet organized here on Thursday. Meanwhile, various organizations including Samaj Utthan Kendra and Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) have urged NHRC to make all the details transparent.

Leaders of seven political parties have said they will restore peace in the country by holding talks with the Maoists once the House of Representatives (HoR) is restored.

Speaking at a programme organised joint people’s movement coordination committee Kavre in Banepa on Thursday, they also vowed not to reach any agreement with the King in present circumstance, according to reports.

Speaking at the programme, general secretary of the Nepali Congress (D), Prakash Man Singh said that leaders are doing politics for the sake of people, adding, “We have apologised to people for the mistakes made by political leaders.”

Singh, who was detained by the controversial Royal Corruption for Corruption Control (RCCC) in the charge of corruption in Melamchi drinking water project and released following the dissolution of RCCC, called on people not to take every political leader as corrupt, and said, “Movement for total democracy cannot see success without popular support.”

He also urged district-based leaders to visit every household to garner support for the movement launched by the seven parties.

President of the Left Front, Nanda Kumar Prasai, said, “Abolition of autocratic monarchy and reinstatement of democracy are main agendas of the seven political parties.” Asking the Maoists to abide by the 12-point understanding, he also urged them to shore up support in favour of constituent assembly, The Himalayan Times daily reported.

The Maoists and political parties reached to a 12-point understanding last November for a peaceful outlet of the Maoist insurgency and to bring them into the mainstream of politics.

Accusing the monarchy of adopting “divide and rule” policy, central member of the Nepali Congress, Gopal Pahadi, said the seven parties have been launching the movement for the welfare of the poor.

“The seven parties will be able to restore peace after holding talks with the Maoists,” Pahadi said.

Central member of the CPN-UML, Rajendra Shrestha, stressed on the need to restructure the RNA, adding, “The RNA is working to protect one single family and not the people.”

The seven agitating political parties are protesting against the February 1 royal takeover of last year.

The Maoists abducted two rangers from Sarangbeshi of Raspurkot VDC of Pyuthan district on Wednesday.

According to the District Forest Office, the rebels abducted rangers Pankan Thakur and Rajendra Kumar Shreevastav stationed at Baraula Range Post and Khalanga Range Post.

The Maoists abducted the two rangers saying they had to be interrogated. Offices of all the range posts based in the villages of Pyuthan have been shifted to the district headquarters after the Maoists ordered the offices to leave the villages last year.

Former mediator in the government-Maoists talks and member of constitution draft committee Damannath Dhungana said on Thursday in Pokhara that the change in leadership of the government would not give solution to the present crisis, reports said.

Newspapers reports quoted him as saying that the only alternative to the present political imbroglio is through the election of the Constituent Assembly.

He urged the agitating political parties not to sit for talks with the king only for change in government leadership. He warned that the political parties would be isolated from the people if they were trapped by such ploy. He asked the political parties to intensify their protests for democracy.

Former speaker of the House of Representatives Dhungana said that the people’s movement is only way to put pressure on king to reverse his February 1 move.

Dhungana welcomed the talk between the parties and the rebels in New Delhi and claimed that the dialogue would help to form a broader political front for people’s movement for the restoration peace and democracy in the country.

The government has formed a committee to investigate irregularities taking place at the Department of Labor and Employment Promotion (DoLEP).

The committee was established after foreign job seekers and manpower agencies complained that officials of the department had been demanding bribes to process their routine documents.

The Kathmandu Post daily quoted reliable government sources as saying the committee formed under Joint Secretary of Ministry of Labor and Transport Management, Dinesh Adhikari, has already started its work.

The committee comprises General Secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), Narendra Raj Shrestha, Tilak Ranabhat and three officials of the ministry. They have been assigned to submit a report about irregularities and corruption at the DoLEP within the next five days.

According to manpower agencies, they have been forced to pay up to Rs 10,000 to process documents of around 100 people, while individual job seekers have to pay up to Rs 15,000 to complete a similar task.

The Indian government has extended assistance of NRs 2.6 million for painting and rewiring of the Museum, Library and Documentation Centre, Hetauda.

A press statement issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed on Wednesday in this regard.

“The Museum, Library cum Documentation Centre, Hetauda was built by the Government of India in 1989 at a cost of IRs 26 million and handed over to Nepal government after renovation in July 1995,” the statement adds.

The Museum, Library cum Documentation Centre was also provided with a supply of exhibits and other display materials for the Museum and books for the Library cum Documentation Centre, with a grant of IRs 8 million from the Government of India.

“The Hetauda Museum is yet another example of the ongoing economic cooperation in the science and technology domain between India and Nepal,” the statement further said.

Hundreds of passengers are stranded in the Sarlahi of the east west highway due to obstructions placed by the Maoists since Thursday.

The Maoists have put obstacles in various places of the highway.

Talking to Nepalnews over phone, Chief District Officer of Sarlahi Bodh Raj Adhikari informed that the local administration was attempting to clear the highway. He informed that the transportation to eastern part of the country from the district was at a standstill due to the obstruction created by the Maoists.

He however informed that local transportation were operating.

Meanwhile, issuing a statement on Friday, Human Rights Organization of Nepal (HURON) has appealed the rebels to resume traffic movement on the highway.

The statement also urged the Maoists not to create obstacles in the free movement of the people as guaranteed by the Article 3 of the Geneva Convention of Human Rights.

Participants of a seminar have pointed out the need of women’s involvement in policymaking and initiation of various programmes to end domestic violence.

Speaking at the program organised by Civil Servant Wives Association, chief secretary of the government, Lokman Singh Karki, said that the association should reach rural areas for women empowerment and for this the assistance of government, NGOs and INGOs is necessary, according to reports.

He informed that a proposal would be submitted at the Council of Ministers for women empowerment and to provide equal opportunity to women in civil service.

Representatives of the UNFPA, Junko Sajaki, said no development is possible without women’s participation and stress should be given for equality of sexes and the discrimination in sexes should be abolished.

Presenting working papers on ‘Domestic violence against women’, counselor Anita Khadka Karki said that the laws on beating, physical and mental torture, sex exploitation, home violence, polygamy should be formulated and the women themselves should be aware of these matters.

Presenting another working paper on ‘Need to increase the number of women in policy making’, joint secretary of the Public Service Commission, Dr Niranjan Prasad Upadhyaya, said work for women’s overall development should be done from the early stages and some quota should be reserved for women in civil service.