EU members take to task govt and Maoists

March 31, 2004
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Kathmandu: The members of the European Union in Kathmandu have urged the Nepal government to bring into full practice in letter and spirit its freshly declared commitments for the protection and preservation of HR cases in the country.

The EU through a press release issued last week also reminds the Nepal government that the “failure on the part of HMGN to take these( read the committed ones) steps carries the risk of rendering HMGN ‘s renewed commitment to its existing international obligations of limited practical value to the people of Nepal”.

The full text of the EU press release reads as follows: “The Heads of Mission of EU in Kathmandu take note of the renewed commitment of HMGN to protect human rights in Nepal, to respect HMGN’s international obligations in this area and to strengthen the mechanisms of the National Human Rights Commission in monitoring their observance. This constitutes a much-needed first step to address the grave human rights situation in Nepal. The Heads of mission of EU however emphasize the imperative need of HMGN providing full and unconditional support to the NHRC in carrying out its statutory mandate, including empowering the NHRC to set up a monitoring body under the NHRC with sufficient national and international technical, financial and logistical support to carry out monitoring nationwide and full cooperation of all State institutions to allow it to perform its task. The government should ensure cooperation and protection of governmental and non-governmental entities for human rights related work. Failure on the part of HMGN to take these steps carries the risk of rendering HMGN ‘s renewed commitment to its existing international obligations of limited practical value to the people of Nepal.

At the same time, Heads of Mission of EU are disturbed at growing evidence of Maoist abuses, notwithstanding their declared commitment to the rules of the Geneva Convention and other international humanitarian laws. Practices such as child abductions, extra-judicial killings, extortion and intimidation, murder of civilians on the basis of their political affiliations and inhumane treatment of captives are unacceptable violations of the enjoyment of human rights. Heads of Mission of EU therefore demand that the Maoists cease such violations and publicly and irrevocably commit themselves genuinely to observing the same standards on human rights as are contained in the HMGN’s Commitment, including allowing access to the NHRC to monitor their observance, and guaranteeing the safety of NHRC in this respect.