Kathmandu: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said on Friday that there shall be no blanket amnesty to the perpetrators of serious human rights violation that occurred during the decade long armed conflict (1996-2006) between the Maoists and state forces.
Nepal’s federal parliament in August passed the bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act by a majority vote. Though international community, including the US, EU nations and the UN, has supported the passage of the bill, victim community, including the international human rights organizations, have voiced concerns that the transitional justice law has a large accountability gap for many crimes under international law, including possible crimes against humanity and war crimes, contrary to Nepal’s Constitution and its international legal obligations.
While addressing an event at the John F Kennedy Jr Forum at Harvard University in Cambridge, Oli said Nepal is determined to conclude the transitional justice process to heal the wounds and scars of the conflict period and help the entire society move forward with a sense of reconciliation, peace and harmony. “I want to assure you that the process of transitional justice will protect victims’ rights and interests, including legal remedies. It will involve seeking truth, providing reparation, and bringing perpetrators of serious crimes to justice.” “No blanket amnesty will be given,” he said,
On the occasion, he also said Nepal welcomes support and encouragement from the international community including its partners in the process for effective implementation of the TJ Act. Stating that the frequent changes in the government delayed the issue of transitional justice for some 18 years after signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord, Prime Minister Oli said, “immediately after the formation of my government, the Transitional Justice bill was passed by the parliament with near consensus.”
On climate change, Oli said that developed countries and major economies should take proportionate responsibility to support developing nations for climate actions, through adequate resources and technology transfer. “This is a gross injustice meted out by the advanced industrialized economies with their centuries of exploitation of nature and emissions of greenhouse gas that are largely responsible for the global ecological harms, endangering our very existence,” he said, adding that wealthy nations who are responsible for climate damage must compensate for the loss and damage of essential infrastructures and livelihoods of people in vulnerable countries.
PM Oli said impacts of global warming and climate change have affected Nepal’s economic development process while reiterating that Nepal has hugely been contributing to the health of the planet through its forests, mountains and rivers. Yet, despite these efforts, we continue to bear the brunt of climate change, created largely by the actions of industrialized nations, he said. “Our mountains play a crucial role in regulating the climate and ecosystem of oceans and mountains, with their snow-fed rivers flowing down to the oceans,” he said.
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