UN expert urges Nepal to revive stalled transitional justice process

Despite repeated national and international calls for progress, Nepal has yet to complete key elements of the transitional justice process envisaged by the agreement between the then government and Maoist rebels. “Since the Accord was signed in 2006, several transitional justice initiatives have been launched, yet progress has remained slow,” Duhaime said in a statement issued by the UN Human Rights Office.

He said the formation of a new government earlier this year had created an opportunity to strengthen governance and reinvigorate the transitional justice agenda, adding that Nepal must not let it slip away. Duhaime urged the government to appoint commissioners without further delay to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons, allowing both bodies to resume their work.

He also called on the authorities to engage meaningfully with international human rights mechanisms and institutions to meet Nepal’s commitments to justice, accountability and human rights.