KATHMANDU, May 4: Representatives of various organizations of conflict victims have submitted a letter to Prime Minister (PM) KP Sharma Oli, demanding a fair and transparent selection process for officials of the two transitional justice commissions.
During a meeting at the PM’s residence in Baluwatar, conflict victim Devi Khadka and other delegates expressed concern that the recommendation committee had not consulted with victims and that the process lacked trust. They urged that appointments to the commissions — the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons — should be impartial and include individuals victims can trust, rather than being influenced by political power-sharing.
The government-formed recommendation committee has already published a shortlist of candidates for the commissions, as per the Transitional Justice Act.
Conflict victims urge parliament to revise Transitional Justice...
In response, PM Oli emphasized that his government is committed to peace and justice, assuring that no one guilty of crimes against humanity, such as rape, will escape punishment. He stressed that victims deserve justice and reparations.
“I have no intention of misleading or ignoring the victims. My only focus is to bring transitional justice to a proper conclusion,” Oli said, “Even though my party, CPN-UML, was not directly involved in the conflict, we also lost our leaders to violence. In a way, all parties — the government, the Maoists, and the nation itself — are victims. We must now work together to ensure such violence is never repeated.”
Human Rights and Transitional Justice Advisor to the PM, Agni Kharel, was also present at the meeting.
