On October 5, 2023, 23 leaders representing conflict victims in Nepal sent a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The letter expressed their concerns that their demands have been overlooked in the bill to amend the Commission for Investigation, Truth, and Reconciliation Act ,and Act on Disappeared Persons, which was registered by the Nepalese government. The conflict victims conveyed their concerns through the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal and requested the Secretary-General’s assistance in drawing the Nepalese government’s attention to their demands.
In the letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the conflict victims pointed out that the bill currently under consideration by the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee of the Federal Parliament does not address some of the concerns they have been raising for years. They emphasized that the bill contradicts the Supreme Court’s decision in 2071 (Nepali calendar) to amend the flawed provisions in the transitional justice law.
The conflict victims expressed doubts in the letter that the proposed bill categorizes human rights violations during the conflict into “human rights violations” and “serious human rights violations,” potentially allowing perpetrators of serious human rights violations to evade accountability.
Furthermore, the letter highlighted the absence of a mechanism for the protection of victims and witnesses in the proposed bill, which has deterred victims of sexual abuse from filing complaints due to fears of exposure. The victims of sexual violence still do not feel safe, and the letter called for the inclusion of measures to address this issue.
The conflict victims also demanded the establishment of a special court to adjudicate on cases of human rights violations that occurred during the conflict. They urged the Secretary-General to leverage his influence to ensure that the Transitional Justice Bill fully incorporates the concerns of conflict victims, enabling the completion of the protracted transitional justice process in Nepal.