INSEC and 48 other civil organizations and seven international organizations have requested the government to become a party to the optional protocol of the Convention Against Torture.
On the occasion of International Day against Torture (June 26), the victims group of human rights violation and international human rights organizations have requested so by releasing a press statement.
Through the statement, the organizations have urged the government to become a party to the optional protocol of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, to establish an independent mechanism to ensure the investigation and prosecution of all acts of torture and to stop illegal detention, torture or ill-treatment of people with the excuse of COVID-19.
According to the statement, international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), to which Nepal is a party, oblige Nepal to investigate, prosecute, punish and provide effective remedies and reparations to victims of torture and other acts of ill-treatment. However, Nepal has failed to comply with these obligations.
They have claimed that the 1996 Torture Compensation Act (TCA), the first-ever law relating to torture in Nepal, falls far short of international standards.
It is further mentioned in the statement that, the criminalization of torture through the Penal Code, 2017 was a welcome step that raised some hopes for justice. However, the fact that not a single case of torture has been successfully prosecuted under this Penal Code continues to cast doubt on Nepal’s commitment to end torture and impunity in relation to torture.
According to the Nepal Human Rights Year Book 2021, in the year 2020, nine men were tortured out of which one was from Province 2, four from Bagmati, three from Lumbini and one from Karnali.