Thomas Miller, Representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal during a press conference on June 12 in Karnali stated that commendable efforts have been made in Karnali Province for the protection of human rights defenders. He said that the bill to safeguard human rights defenders is being prepared to submit to the Karnali Provincial Assembly. He also said that INSEC and the Human Rights Commission are actively working on this.
A team led by the EU visited Surkhet to assess the human rights situation in Karnali, meeting with Chief Minister Yamlal Kadel, Chief Secretary, CDO, DSP, civil society representatives, and human rights defenders. They also held discussions with human rights defenders, the CDO, and the DSP in Dailekh to review the situation of human rights defenders. During the press conference held in Surkhet to share the conclusions of the two-day program, Miller responded to a journalist’s question by stating that human rights defenders feel unsafe at their workplaces and that the government is expected to take proper actions on human rights violations in the coming days.
The Journalists at the event expressed concern over the growing impact of social media on women and marginalized groups in recent times. The press conference was attended by Enbuska Petra, a representative of the Embassy of Finland; Bijay Raj Gautam, Executive Director of INSEC; Pratigya Baskota, a representative of the Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal; Ramesh Thapa, Provincial Chief of the National Human Rights Commission in Karnali; and other stakeholders.