Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, has urged Nepali authorities to immediately end what it said the practice of “disappearances” and to take concrete steps to hold perpetrators accountable.

More than 1,200 cases have been documented in the last five years by local human rights groups. According to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances, in 2003 and 2004 Nepal recorded the highest number of new cases of “disappearances” in the world.

“Maoist forces have a horrendous record of killings, torture and intimidation, but the response can’t be to unleash an army that has been responsible for so many ‘disappearances’ and other egregious human rights abuses,” said Brad Adams, Asia director for Human Rights Watch

The 171-page report launched Tuesday said the international community should act immediately to prevent what it called a deepening ‘disappearances’ crisis in the Himalayan kingdom.

The report documents more than 200 cases of what the organisation calls enforced disappearances and analyzes the factors responsible for the crisis. Human Rights Watch’s research indicates that the actual number of “disappearances” in Nepal may be significantly underreported, since many families had not reported the “disappearances” of their relatives to any other institution, and Human Rights Watch was the first organization they talked to about the “disappearances.”

The Human Rights Watch has called upon the Nepali authorities to take immediate measures to put an end to the practice of enforced disappearances, investigate all reported cases, and publicly instruct the security forces on the impermissibility of these abuses.

States supporting Nepali security forces, including India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, should reassess their aid policies and make all military assistance to Nepal strictly contingent on the government’s adherence to international human rights and humanitarian law and exclude any assistance to units implicated in human rights violations, the organisation said.

The Human Rights Watch has called upon the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to adopt a resolution at its upcoming session condemning abuses by both sides of the conflict and to appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in Nepal.

“Only sustained and unified pressure will restore democratic governance and prevent a catastrophic escalation of the conflict,” said Adams.

Nepal authorities deny such allegations and say they are fully committed to uphold human rights and international humanitarian laws. The Royal Nepalese Army said it has already taken action against some of its soldiers and officers found guilty for rights violations.