US Ambassador to Nepal, James F Moriarty, speaking in the talk program “Nepal’s Political…

Ian Martin, head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Chief of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal Ian Martin has demanded that the military court cases be tried at the “civilian courts.”

Urging both the warring factions to conflict to respect international humanitarian law, he said Nepal’s human rights situation is of great concern to the international community.

Speaking at a programme in Nepal Bar Association on Friday he said, “Details concerning the Royal Nepal Army’s court martial and court of inquiry procedures are unknown to us as the Army officials have not given us the details of such cases,” adding, “Such cases should be dealt with in civilian courts instead of RNA courts.”

Expressing concern over arbitrary detentions, he said, “I recently met the Home Minister but I was not given any assurances when all the detainees would be released.”

He rued that the government does not have any policies to control vigilante groups that have been formed to defend Maoist atrocities. “We raised our concern about the vigilante groups. We were told that the government does not have any policy on the matter and that it has nothing to do with them.”

Pointing out that the International Criminal Court in the Hague has no jurisdiction in Nepal, Martin pointed out the need for Nepal to ratify the Rome statute to be able to try Nepal’s cases at the ICC.

Martin informed the journalists that the OHCHR is in contact with both the warring parties and has had “dual dialogue with the representatives of the Maoists and the government.