Conflict victims have expressed their disagreement over the shortlist of officials for the Transitional Justice Commissions which was made public by the Recommendation Committee. On behalf of the conflict victims, various organizations and the victims themselves issued a joint press release on May 1, stating that the committee released the shortlist in a non-transparent and superficial manner, based on political power-sharing and influence.
The press release stated that the people on the published shortlist cannot handle the responsibility of transitional justice and cannot ensure justice for the victims. It also demanded the formation of a new and independent recommendation committee immediately. The statement also called for the formation of a new and independent recommendation committee without delay.
They have called on the government to establish the commission by including the victim community in the process. Furthermore, the victims have issued a warning that they will form a parallel commission if their demands are not addressed. The conflict-affected community has stated that their repeated written and verbal suggestions were ignored by the recommendation committee. They warned that the shortlist is unacceptable as it was made public without consulting the very victims for whom the commission is being formed. Additionally, the victims have informed that to cooperate with the committee, various conflict victims’ organizations have withdrawn the names of the individuals they had recommended for the positions in both commissions.