KATHMANDU, April 23 : Conflict victims’ groups have called on Prime Minister Balendra Shah to take the Transitional Justice (TJ) process to a logical conclusion through an open letter.
In the letter sent to Prime Minister Shah by 40 organizations representing the conflict victims’ community, they have urged the government to restore credibility in the transitional justice process and bring it to a meaningful end. The letter expresses hope in the nearly two-thirds majority government, stating confidence that it will ensure victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation while addressing its historic responsibility with seriousness. “We extend our heartfelt congratulations on your opportunity to assume the grave responsibility of leading the country as a powerful executive with nearly a two-thirds majority in Parliament,” the letter states. “We firmly believe that the government under your leadership has the capacity, commitment, and moral foundation to move the transitional justice process in the right direction.”
Conflict victims threaten to ask UN to intervene in TJ process
The letter also points out that the transitional justice process has not been included in the government’s proposed national commitment draft or its 100-point governance agenda.
It puts forward six key demands, including incorporating transitional justice as a major component of the national commitment document, resolving questions surrounding the legitimacy of the current commissions through legal amendments or appropriate measures, ensuring the exit of current commissioners, and making future appointments fully transparent, competitive, and victim-friendly with a victim-centered approach.
Suman Adhikari, founding chairperson of the Conflict Victims Common Platform, has urged the government to take concrete and credible steps to ensure the long-delayed rights to truth, justice, and reparation, and to prioritize the issue at the highest level.
