On the occasion of International Justice Day, human rights defenders, legal professionals, and representatives of civil society jointly urged the Government of Nepal, through a press statement, to immediately ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ensure a victim-centred justice system.
The joint press statement, issued on July 16, recalls the historic adoption of the Rome Statute on July 17, 1998, and states that Nepal’s ratification of the treaty is essential to end impunity, strengthen the rule of law, and ensure justice for victims.
The statement expresses concern that although Nepal’s reinstated House of Representatives directed the government to ratify the Rome Statute as early as 2006, and despite repeated recommendations during the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR), no concrete steps have been taken so far.
Human rights defenders noted that more than 18 years have passed since the end of Nepal’s decade-long armed conflict, yet conflict victims have still not received truth, justice, reparations, or effective remedies. They called on the government to bring the transitional justice process to a logical conclusion in a victim-centred, transparent, credible, and internationally compliant manner.
Through the joint statement, the signatories also urged the government to ensure truth, justice, compensation, and effective remedies for victims of the JNG movement and other public movements and incidents; provide prompt justice to victims of loan sharking and economic exploitation; resolve the issues of landless, squatters, and unmanaged settlers in a human rights–friendly manner; and ensure equal and accessible justice for women, Dalits, Indigenous Peoples, Madhesis, Tharus, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, children, and other marginalized communities.
They further called on the government to conduct independent, impartial, and effective investigations into human rights violations, end impunity, and fully implement every citizen’s right to justice in accordance with the Constitution of Nepal and the international human rights treaties to which Nepal is a party.
The statement emphasizes that justice, accountability, and respect for human rights are fundamental pillars of democratic governance and strongly urges the Government of Nepal to immediately undertake the necessary legal, policy, and institutional reforms to ensure truth, justice, accountability, and an end to impunity.
The joint statement was signed by Sunil Kumar Shrestha, Senior Advocate and Coordinator of the Public Interest Lawyers Group, Nepalgunj; Bhola Mahat, Lumbini Province Coordinator of INSEC; Advocate Basanta Gautam, Senior Provincial Coordinator of Advocacy Forum; Advocate Pawan Kumar Gupta, President of the Nepalgunj High Bar Association; Advocate Suresh Kumar Gautam, Director of Hope Tedit and Research Center; Advocate Bikash Acharya, General Secretary of the Public Interest Lawyers Group; Advocate Kewal Singh Tharu, Treasurer of the Public Interest Lawyers Group; Prabhat Kumar Thakuri, Provincial President of the Consumer Rights Protection Forum; and Advocate Bal Bahadur Chand, former President of the Nepalgunj High Bar Association.
