INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, AUGUST 17Advocacy Forum has issued a press release demanding justice for those Maoist cadres and civilians
who were brutally killed 20 years ago at Doramba in Ramechhap by the then Royal Nepali Army while the state and the Maoists were observing a
Ukrainian soldiers who were blinded in combat face the new battle of navigating the world again
Conflict victims seek amendment of Transitional Justice Bill
On that day, the then Royal Nepali Army had arrived at a civilian's house where
Maoists were attending a meeting and cordoned them off
Twenty-one people, including civilians, were taken under control, lined up, and shot dead at close range, AF stated in its release.It said
the Doramba incident was a flagrant breach of international humanitarian law that guarantees protection to persons arrested and taken under
control during armed conflict and it amounts to war crime.
AF further said, "For the last 20 years, the Doramba incident
victims have been waiting for truth, justice and reparations, but the state has been apathetic to their demands
The state has fulfilled the victims' demand for memorialisation by installing the busts of the extra-judicially executed persons but it has
not put any effort to provide them justice."Currently, a Bill for the Amendment of the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and
Reconciliation Commission Act (TRC Act), 2014 is under consideration in the Parliament
The rights organisations have, however, opposed the Bill, citing that it contains several erroneous provisions that effectively deprive
conflict victims, including the victims of Doramba incident, of justice.Recently, three UN Special Rapporteurs and a Working Group pointed
out that certain provisions in the Bill are inconsistent with Nepal's obligations to investigate human rights violations committed during
the conflict.The Special Rapporteurs have commented that the categorisation of serious human rights violation in the Bill is problematic as
the Bill excludes from its current definition of 'serious human rights violations' that may amount to gross violations of human rights, war
crimes and crimes against humanity and would therefore not be examined by the TRC or be subject to prosecution by the Special Court.The
Bill's exclusion of war crimes from serious human rights violations will ensure impunity to the perpetrators of the Doramba incident.AF has
also demanded that the government amend the Bill in line with the Supreme Court's rulings and Nepal's international obligations and make the
law victim-centric.On the 20th anniversary of the Doramba incident, AF pledges its support for the victims and stands in solidarity with
them in their struggle for truth and justice.#13;"Reviving and strengthening the economy, controlling grey market activities, and easing the
liquidity situation of the country should also be prioritised by the government," he said.
A version of this article appears in the print
on August 18 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com