The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has welcomed the decision taken by the Supreme Court of Nepal declaring that amnesties should not be granted for serious human rights violations committed during the internal conflict in Nepal which raged for 10 years. Earlier, in March of 2013, Nepal’s government had established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to look into the human rights violations in the 1996 to 2006 internal strife which claimed around 13,000 lives. However, the ordinance by which the Commission was set up also had provisions for amnesties, limitation on criminal prosecution and a 35 day limit on filing cases.
The Supreme Court ruled that the provisions for amnesty in the ordinance contravened fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution of Nepal and also international law. The High Commissioner, in her statement, stressed the significance of the judgement in actualizing criminal investigations and prosecutions in conflict areas. She also stressed that the OHCHR was willing to provide support and advice to the Government of Nepal through the process.
You can read more here.
TAGS:
