The visiting UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour has said that there will be no durable peace without justice.
Louise Arbour (back center) addressing a news conference at the National Human Rights Commission. nepalnews.com/ANA
Louise Arbour (back center) addressing a news conference at the National Human Rights…
Addressing the staffers of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Hariharbhawan this afternoon, Arbour said that “approach of sequencing peace and justice” is wrong as it would more often than not undermine justice.
Informing about her meetings with officials in Nepal including Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala, Arbour said, “Nobody has told me that they are not interested in justice. Signals that I have received so far are positive.” But, she added, both NHRC and OHCHR must remain vigilant. Arbour promised to support NHRC in its endeavours in future. Arbour has already met with Prime Minister on Saturday. She met with Home Minister Krishna Sitaula today.
On the issue of appointment of commissioners at the NHRC, Arbour said that she had shared with the Prime Minister, her hope that the “appointments will be made in transparent fashion in order to increase the ownership of the people.” She said that the PM had agreed, in principle.
The NHRC has been functioning without any commissioner for the last six months. The government has already nominated chairman (Biswo Nath Upadhyaya) and two commissioners (Lila Pathak and Gauri Pradhan). But the nominations have yet to be finalised.
Earlier, Dhruba Nepal, officiating director at the NHRC, briefed Arbour about the NHRC activities.
Nepal complained that only 25 percent of the recommendations for actions made by the commission are actually implemented by the government. “That too is implemented only partially,” he said.
Nepal also said, “Though the interim constitution has given NHRC a status of constitutional body, it has also placed most authority in the executive, thereby weakening the independence of the courts, Election Commission,