Kathmandu, June 8: The newly constituted Human Rights Commission has begun its work by voicing the cause of the people displaced from the mid-western and far-western districts of the country because of Maoist’s threat.

“We have interacted with the victims of Maoist insurgency and have put their problems before the government,” members of the Commission said.

A group of 240 people displaced from their homes arrived in the capital recently after 28 days of strenuous trek.

The members of the newly formed Commission said the human rights situation in Nepal was not satisfactory despite the fact that Nepal has ratified 16 different international human rights conventions.

“We will keep an eye on the activities of the government to ensure that it remains committed to the cause of protection and promotion of human rights,” the members told the face to face programme organised by the Reporters’ Club today.

On the question whether the existing legislation was adequate to implement the recommendations forwarded to the government by the Commission, Sushil Pyakurel member of the new Commission said the existing legislation was inadequate to make the recommendations binding.

Another member of the Commission, Kapil Shrestha said that the enactment of new legislation would only open doors to violation of the very legislation.

“We ought to press the government to take actions against the violators of human rights through moral pressure, if action is not taken, then the pressure is bound to be intensified by forging national as well international opinion,” he said.

The newly appointed Chairman of the Commission Nayan Bahadur Khatri said that the controversy raised regarding his appointment did not hold any rationale.

“The press failed to understand the functioning of the Judiciary and alleged that I had given instructions to the bench of judges to give the verdict of death penalty in some court cases at the time when I was the Chief Justice in the Panchyat rule,” he said.

He said that the Chief Justice does not have any say while giving the verdict as it is the bench of judges who submit their individual verdicts in any lawsuit.

Khatri’s nomination to the new post had come under fire from some of the ruling NC lawmakers and the press. The critics had argued that Khatri who had served under a dictatorial regime as Chief Justice did not deserve the post.

“I have been entrusted with a big responsibility and the challenge before the Commission is as deep as the Pacific Ocean,” Khatri said.

Khatri said that he had faced a lot of ups and downs in life and would not resign from his legally appointed post just because the press and some politicians were out to create an irrational debate.

All the members of the newly formed Commission Indira Rana, Sushil Pyakurel, Gauri Shankhar Lal Das and Kapil Shrestha were present in the face to face programme. The members assured that they would not dishearten the human rights activists and the people at large who had voiced for four continuous years for the formation of the Commission.