Press Releases:

August 30, 2009

Nepal: Enforced Disappearances Should Be Criminalized

Joint Statement by ICTJ, NHRC, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Huron, Cahurast, Human Rights Alliance, Human Rights and Democratic Forum, COCAP, and Disappearances Warriors Family Association

(Also available in Nepali)

Aug. 30, 2009 -- During the decade-long armed conflict in Nepal, thousands of persons were forcibly "disappeared." Of them, the whereabouts of at least 835 have never been made known - according to the data of NHRC Nepal. Relatives and families of the disappeared continue to wait in the hope that information will be made public.

Nearly three years have passed since the signing of the 2006 Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA). Though the Nepalese Government and Unified CPN (Maoist) pledged to publicize the whereabouts of the disappeared citizens, they have not done so.

It is vital to investigate and fully disclose the human rights violations and abuses that occurred during the armed conflict. It is no less necessary to hold accountable the persons responsible and make arrangements of relief, rehabilitation, compensation and reparation for the victims. We are gravely concerned the State has not made adequate efforts to disclose information about citizens disappeared during the conflict.

On the occasion of August 30th, the International Day of the Disappeared, we call on the Nepalese Government to publicize the whereabouts of citizens forcibly disappeared in the course of the armed conflict and to take action against those responsible.

We, the human rights organizations involved in the campaign to publicize the whereabouts of forcibly disappeared citizens, ask the Nepalese Government to take the following steps immediately:

1. To criminalize the act of disappearance and formulate law according to international standards and the ruling of the Supreme Court dated June 1, 2007.

2. To make known immediately the whereabouts of citizens forcibly disappeared during the armed conflict.

3. To make arrangements of relief, rehabilitation, compensation and reparation for the citizens subjected to enforced disappearance.

4. To create an independent commission with all necessary authority to investigate incidents of disappearances.

5. To implement immediately the recommendations of the Supreme Court and National Human Rights Commission immediately.

6. To ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.