Confirming the reports made public by leading international rights organisations, a fact finding mission of the UN– that is currently visiting the country— has said Nepal now tops the list of countries that has the highest cases of new disappearances.
Addressing a press meet in the Nepali capital Tuesday afternoon, head of the delegation United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances of the UNCHR (UN Commission on Human Rights) prof. Stephen J. Toope, said within the last year number of new cases reported to the Working Group has been the greatest from Nepal. “ We take the situation to be serious indeed,” he said.
Prof. Toope further said the Working Group had processed 150 Urgent Action cases last year and now had 265 cases in its list based in Geneva. “It is very difficult to identify the precise number of cases (of the disappeared people). But we assume that the list that currently exists with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) would be far closer to the situation,” he added.
The NHRC has said it has recorded nearly 1,600 cases of disappearances so far. Of them, majority of the people have been reported disappeared after they were taken into custody by the security forces, according to NHRC.
During its visit, the UN delegation had meetings with His Majesty the King, top government officials, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, senior officials of the Royal Nepalese Army, Nepal Police, members of civil society, relatives of the disappeared, lawyers, journalists and representatives of the international community in Nepal.
“With the King, it was a serious conversation. It was a lengthy conversation and we entered into details of all issues,” said prof. Toope. He did not provide details.
He, however, said the delegation did not meet the Maoists.
“The Working Group was informed by all parties of the damaging effects of the internal conflict in Nepal. Atrocities committed by the Maoists were frequently mentioned to the Working Group by all interlocutors. Our mandate is restricted to the international human rights law obligations of the state authorities in Nepal. This in now way reduces the urgent need for the Maoists to respect international humanitarian law obligations and the physical integrity of their fellow citizens to reduce their suffering,” said a statement issued by the Working Group at the conclusion of its visit.
The Working Group has called upon both the political and military authorities in Nepal to honour their international human rights law obligations, the Constitution and their own commitment in order to stop disappearances. “A complete prohibition on incommunicado detention in Army barracks must be enforced. Human rights defenders must be protected from persecution for their work and NHRC should have unhindered access to all places of detention, without prior notification or permission,” said the Working Group.
The two-member Working Group delegation, led by chairperson-rapporteur prof. Toope and member prof. Saed Rajaie Khorasani, had arrived in Kathmandu on December 6. The group will present its final report to the UNCHR in March next year. nepalnews.com by Dec 14 04