KATHMANDU, Aug 29 : Nepal’s President Ramchandra Paudel Thursday certified the Transitional Justice (TJ) Bill to amend the contentious legislation to address the enforced disappearances allegedly perpetrated by state forces that occurred in the Himalayan nation during the 1996-2006 civil war.
President Paudel authenticated the Bill to amend the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act (TRC Bill), his office said in a statement.
The President assented to the Bill in accordance with Article 113 (2) of the Constitution. The Bill was submitted to the President for authentication following its endorsements by both Houses of Parliament earlier this month.
Meanwhile, nine countries and the European Union (EU) have welcomed the endorsement of the Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2071 (Amendment) Bill, also known as the TRC Act.
A joint statement by the US, Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Norway, Japan, Finland, the EU, Germany and France welcomed Nepal’s efforts to take the nearly two-decade-long peace process to a logical conclusion.
“The undersigned welcome the Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act 2071 (Amendment) Bill passed with consensus by both houses of the Federal Parliament of Nepal,” said the statement.
“While we are in the early stages of the process, in order to assess possible future actions, the undersigned look forward to hearing from the Government of Nepal about specific needs to support effective delivery by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappeared Persons,” it said.
“Now is the time for all stakeholders to band together in support of bringing this segment of Nepal’s history to a successful conclusion,” the statement added.
Ending nearly a decade of uncertainty, the House of Representatives passed the Bill on August 14, followed by the validation from the National Assembly on August 22. The bill was forwarded to President Paudel after Speaker Devraj Ghimire certified it on Wednesday.
With the President’s authentication, the Bill is ready for implementation once it is published in the Gazette.
The amendment to the Act was necessitated after the Supreme Court in February 2015 struck down provisions that allowed amnesty for serious human rights violations, directing the government to make necessary revisions.
Nepal witnessed a civil war from 1996 to 2006, during which gross human rights violations were reported to be committed on a widespread and systematic scale by all parties involved, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and torture. In particular, the widespread practice of enforced disappearances of persons taken under control or arrested by the State forces was documented, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
Around 17,000 people, including security personnel, were killed during the decade-long Maoist insurgency that ended with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
