Nepal: UN rights official calls for accountability for Maoist abuses

The top United Nations human rights official in Nepal has called on the Maoist leadership to fully cooperate with ongoing investigations into abuses alleged to have been committed by its cadres.

In a letter to Pushpa Kamal Dahal, head of the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist (UCPN-M), Richard Bennett detailed the concerns of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) about the lack of progress in investigations into the killings of Ram Hari Shrestha, Birendra Shah and Arjun Lama, as well as the deadly June 2005 bus bombing in Chitwan.

“These cases are among those for which there is substantial evidence of Maoists’ responsibility and that OHCHR is following closely,” the Office stated in a news release.

In the letter, originally sent on 24 July but released today, OHCHR calls on the UCPN-M to support ongoing police investigations into these cases, and to direct known suspects to surrender to the authorities.

OHCHR noted that in the case of the 2005 bus bombing, the UCPN-M has acknowledged responsibility and identified the perpetrators, but no criminal action has been taken against them.

“The Nepal Police, for its part, has showed little willingness to pursue these cases citing a lack of cooperation by the UCPN-M as a major obstacle,” said the Office.

Mr. Bennett stated that the Chairperson and other senior Maoist leaders have made repeated commitments to OHCHR that they would fully support efforts to hold human rights abusers accountable for their actions.

“Unfortunately, they have yet to make good on those commitments,” he said.

“To reverse the climate of impunity, the practice of protecting and promoting alleged human rights violators, whether they be Nepal Army officers or members of UCPN-M, must end.”

Mr. Bennett has repeatedly stressed the need for both sides of the conflict to cooperate with investigations into abuses, committed both during the decade-long civil war and afterwards, noting that lack of accountability is hindering progress in the country’s peace process.