Kathmandu: Six organizations working on human rights have demanded that the process of appointing commissioners and officials in Nepal’s transitional justice mechanisms—the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP)—must be credible and competent and independent persons should be appointed as the officials in transitional justice commissions. In a joint statement, Accountability Watch Committee, Amnesty International-Nepal, Advocacy Forum-Nepal, Informal Sector Service Center (INSEC), JuRI-Nepal and LACC (Legal Aid and Consultancy Centre Nepal) have said that they are closely monitoring the selection process following the reformation of the recommendation committee tasked with appointing officials to the long-vacant transitional justice commissions.
“We reiterate our firm position that without a transparent and credible selection process—one that ensures the appointment of capable officials able to carry out the serious, specific, and multi-dimensional national task of transitional justice independently and without interference—the process will not reach a legitimate conclusion,” they have said.
They have said that officials of the recommendation committee, along with all concerned authorities, should internalize the reality that when appointments to transitional justice commissions and other public institutions have been influenced by partisan politics, undue pressure, and vested interests, it has consistently led to widespread public frustration and the failure of those institutions to fulfill their mandates.
“The upcoming appointments to the transitional justice mechanisms must not repeat this pattern of disappointment. Instead, they must inspire renewed hope and trust among victim communities, civil society, and national and international stakeholders who have long awaited truth, justice, and reparation,” the rights bodies said.
“We therefore call upon the recommendation committee to strictly adhere to a transparent selection process, including thorough background checks of all applicants and public hearings, and to recommend only qualified and capable individuals without any compromise.”
The rights bodies have urged Prime Minister and Chairperson of CPN-UML, KP Sharma Oli, President of Nepali Congress Sher Bahadur Deuba and CPN (Maoist Centre) chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal to fulfill the commitments they made together on a single stage at the transitional justice conference held in March by civil society and victims’ groups in Kathmandu. “We call on them to act as facilitators of the transitional justice process and to ensure that no direct or indirect pressure or influence is exerted during the selection and appointment of officials,” they have said.
“Furthermore, to prevent the recurrence of a situation where individuals lacking substantive contributions to transitional justice—motivated by partisan or vested interests—are recommended, thus once again pushing the process into crisis, we call upon all vigilant citizens, the media, victims’ communities, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to actively monitor the selection process and engage in constructive, fact-based public vetting of candidates under consideration,” they have said.
“We appeal for active civic vigilance to prevent the appointment of unsuitable and controversial candidates, which would seriously undermine the legitimacy of the commissions and erode the support they require to fulfill their critical mandate.”
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