KATHMANDU, Aug 3: Representatives of conflict victims, who have expressed strong opposition to the ongoing process of forming the two transitional justice bodies held a meeting on Friday at Singha Durbar with key political and government figures.
Participants included Agni Kharel, advisor to the Prime Minister on transitional justice; Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak and CPN (Maoist Center) leader Khimlal Devkota. Representing the conflict victims were Devi Khadka, Geeta Rasaili, Ram Bhandari, Surendra Khatri, Gopal Shah, Sushila Chaudhary and Suman Adhikari.
During the nearly two-hour discussion, the victims’ representatives expressed deep frustration, stating that victims are still being forced to suffer without meaningful redress while the government and political parties continue to act in an insensitive and self-serving manner. They accused successive governments of exploiting the pain of victims for political gain, manipulating the transitional justice process through partisan appointments and repeated betrayals.
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The victims alleged that although laws and commissions were created under the pretext of addressing their grievances, political actors have consistently undermined the process. They have excluded victims from meaningful participation and imposed decisions driven by political interests. The appointment of TJ officials, they said, was the result of power-sharing arrangements among parties, in which loyalists lacking the necessary expertise, competence, and sensitivity were selected through a staged and deceptive recommendation process.
Despite their disagreement with the amendment to the TJ Act in September 2024, the victims had recommended several credible names in good faith, hoping the recommendation committee would adopt a trustworthy selection process and appoint qualified individuals. However, their suggestions were ignored. Even after approaching top political leaders with concerns about the flawed process, no corrective action was taken. This lack of responsiveness has left the victims disillusioned.
The victims challenged the government to prove that the selection of commission officials was genuinely based on merit and transparency. Instead, they said, the government and commissions have engaged in tactics to divide victims, make hollow assurances, and disseminate misleading narratives against them.
They objected to the government’s decision to push the process forward without meaningful consultation or inclusion of victims, emphasizing that the process should be collaborative. Representatives informed that victims from all seven provinces had recently held consultations and, in response to the manipulated formation process and problematic legal provisions, were preparing to file a writ petition at the Supreme Court. They also indicated preparations to establish a Citizen’s Truth Commission if necessary.
The victims warned that this citizen-led initiative would draw upon reports by the OHCHR, court verdicts, and recommendations from the National Human Rights Commission to publicly disclose the names of alleged perpetrators. They further accused the Prime Minister’s transitional justice advisor of undermining the facilitative role expected of him, alleging that he had previously influenced the recommendation committee and now seeks to control the commission, while also sidelining the relevant law ministry’s role.
In response, political leaders acknowledged past shortcomings and said the TJ process was a shared national issue intended for the benefit of victims. They emphasized the need for a collective resolution. However, they did not address the specific allegations raised by the victims, nor did they respond to criticisms of the manipulated selection process.
The leaders expressed concerns that reversing the current process would only complicate matters further and argued for improvements within the existing framework. They suggested including victim representatives in the commission’s Victim Coordination Unit to ensure more direct involvement. At the same time, they urged the victims not to file a writ petition or form a citizen commission, citing potential complications such actions could bring.
