Ian Martin (File Photo)
Chief of the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Ian Martin, met government officials to access human rights situation on January 26.

Martin is likely to present his final report on human rights to Geneva-based headquarters before the OHCHR’s 62nd plenary meeting begins on March 15.

Reports quoted sources as saying that Martin chiefly raised cases of disappearance, torture, hardship faced by internally-displaced persons and government’s restriction on opposition parties’ peaceful assembly on January 20.

The government officials are learnt to have appraised Martin of the improved record on cases of disappearance, torture, IDPs and other reformative commitments from the government side.

The government is in the process of preparing a human rights report to defend its case during the 62nd plenary meeting of the OHCHR.

The Himalayan Times quoted sources as saying that putting Nepal under Item-9 could not be ruled out if the government did not give satisfactory replies on human rights records in the plenary meeting.

If that happens, Nepal would be listed as one of the countries having high rate of human rights violations and the commission might also recommend economic sanctions against Nepal and ultimately ban the Royal Nepalese Army from taking part in UN peacekeeping missions.

Earlier, The Human Rights Committee (HRC) constituted under the coordination of Foreign Minister Ramesh Nath Pandey has raised serious questions about the performance and activities of OHCHR in Nepal. The HRC also questioned whether the UN human rights agency was carrying out its activities within its limitation.