National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has renewed its call upon the Nepal government and Maoist rebels to sign on the Human Rights Accord to protect and promote fundamental rights of the Nepali citizens.

The latest call by the NHRC has come ahead of the visit of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Justice Louise Arbour to Nepal. Justice Louise is scheduled to visit Kathmandu next month on a fact-finding mission, according to reports.

Making public the final draft of the Human Rights Accord (HRA) prepared by the NHRC at an interaction programme in Kathmandu Friday morning, member of the NHRC, Sushil Pyakurel, said the HRA will help build confidence between the conflicting parties and also help (in creating a conducing environment) to hold proposed peace negotiations.

He also expressed hope that incidences of human rights violations and abuses from both the sides including disappearances, extra-judicial killings, abductions etc. would greatly reduce if both the parties agreed to sign the Accord. Recalling that both the government and rebels had expressed their commitment towards international humanitarian laws from time to time, he said all the HRA wanted was to force both the sides to stick to their own commitments and monitor if that has been violated.

Member of NHRC, prof. Kapil Shrestha, said Nepal had never seen widespread human rights violations at this scale in its history, which the country is witnessing over the last nine years. He said it was a matter of great worry that the country seemed to be moving towards a state of lawlessness and that common civilians were increasingly being targeted by both the sides.

Prof. Shrestha said the proposed Human Rights Accord was meant to humanize and civilise both the warring parties in Nepal.

Another member of NHRC, Dr, Gauri Shanker Lal Das, said the Commission wanted that both the parties in conflict signed on the Accord simultaneously.

Briefing the media on major provisions of the Human Rights Accord, acting Secretary at the NHRC, Kedar Poudel, said the proposed Accord did not limit the existing rules and regulations but would work as complementary to them.

The Human Rights Accord, divided into four chapters, has called upon both the government and Maoist rebels to respect and protect people’s fundamental rights including Right to life, Right to personal integrity, Right to liberty and security, Right to liberty of movement, Right to freedom of opinion, expression, association, assembly and the exercise of political rights, Right to work, Right to food, Right to health, Right to education and women and children rights.

The proposed Accord has also the asked the parties in Nepali conflict to ensure its free movement throughout the country as well as security, including that of any person providing information to NHRC.

The Accord also refers to Nepal government’s Letter of Commitment of 26 March 2004 and CPN (Maoist)’s statement of 16 March 2004 as well as a desire to find a negotiated solution to end the conflict as expressed in the Code of Conduct signed by both the parties last year.

“Though this is the fifth and final draft, we are open for any suggestions from all sides to be incorporated into it,” said Pyakurel. Referring to international experiences in which UN was involved in monitoring the situation of human rights in the conflict-ridden countries, Pyakurel said the Accord will help the NHRC to monitor the situation of human rights within the country as per the mandate given to it by the NHRC Act 1997.

The Act has identified the NHRC as an independent, lead agency to monitor the situation of human rights and work towards protection and promotion of human rights in the country. nepalnews.com by Dec 31 04