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Nepal 2008: Human Rights
Human Rights & Social Justice
INSEC
Implement Supreme Court judgment on Disappearances
June 2008
Implement Supreme Court judgment on Disappearances
INSEC, 1 June 2008

Today marks one year since the directive order given by the Supreme Court to the Government to establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the hundreds of enforced disappearances during armed conflict. Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC) urges the Government to take an immediate step forward to implement the 1 June 2007 judgment of the Supreme Court by enacting a law on enforced disappearances in line with the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances and form the commission in accordance with the law as soon as possible.

The Government is reluctant to establish any constructive mechanism to investigate the whereabouts of the hundreds of allegedly disappeared persons during the decade-long conflict. According to the record of INSEC, 828 persons, disappeared by the state, are still unaccounted for. Despite the Maoists� claim that they were not involved in any disappearances, 105 persons who are alleged to have been disappeared by Maoist groups remain missing.
The Comprehensive Peace Accord, 2006 included a pledge to publicize the whereabouts of victims of enforced disappearance and also the Interim Constitution, 2007 provides for the establishment of a commission to investigate the whereabouts of the disappeared persons during the armed conflict. Families of the disappeared persons, UN independent experts, and national and international organizations including OHCHR-Nepal remain concerned about the continuing uncertainty regarding the establishment of such a mechanism to deal with the many outstanding cases.

On 1 June the Supreme Court of Nepal ruled on a large number of enforced disappearance cases, including 80 habeas corpus writs. The ruling ordered the Government of Nepal to enact legislation that would criminalise enforced disappearances and establish a Commission of inquiry into past enforced disappearances.

The criminalization of enforced disappearance and prosecution of the criminals is a positive step to bring perpetrators to justice. Comprehensive law on enforced disappearance encompassing relevant international human rights standards contributes to put an end to impunity and promote accountability and justice. However, one year after the directives, and despite the continuous concern of the international community, the government has not initiated to enact a law to punish the guilty, and failed to implement the verdict of the Supreme Court. Such ignorance has perpetuated the culture of impunity and could promote human rights violations in the future.

INSEC call on Government to:

- Implement the verdict of 1 June 2007 of the Supreme Court without further delay;

- Implement the order of interim Legislature-Parliament to draft a law on enforced disappearances in line with the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances and the 1 June 2007 judgment of the Supreme Court;

- Ratify the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

Similarly, INSEC requests the Constituent Assembly to:

- Direct the Government to implement the order of interim legislature-parliament to draft a law on enforce disappearance in line with the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances;

- Call on the Government to form a commission to unearth the truth and find out the number and whereabouts of the disappeared people, to provide compensation to the victims and to bring perpetrators to justice;

- Pass a directive resolution to the Government to become a party to the International Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances.

Source: INSEC, 1 June 2008
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Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC)
INSEC
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