Nepalese political leaders, civil society members and lawyers today asked the government to take immediate steps, including the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to provide justice to victims of the country's civil war.
Without addressing the concerns of victims of the conflict, the ongoing peace process cannot be complete, they said while speaking at a seminar here.
Sapna Pradhan, a senior advocate and women's activist, said the government and political parties should work together to build a transitional justice mechanism and form a Truth and Reconciliation Commission at the earliest to provide justice to victims.
She rejected the view that a general amnesty should be provided to all perpetrators of rights violations, including those involved in serious excesses during the conflict.
Agni Kharrel, a senior leader of the CPN-UML, said a separate Truth and Reconciliation Commission and a Commission for Investigation of Disappeared Persons should be formed according to international norms to provide justice to those affected by the decade-long conflict.
Rastriya Parjatantra Party Nepal leader Nirranjan Thapa said those involved in serious rights violations should be dealt with like criminals. They cannot be pardoned in the name of concluding the peace process, he added.
Senior Maoist leader Barsha Man Pun said his party is "ready to address the concerns of conflict victims in case of serious human rights violations but it is not possible to investigate each and every incident related to the conflict".
The peace process, transitional justice mechanism and the process of drafting a new Constitution are interrelated, he pointed out.
Hanaa Singer, the acting UN Resident Coordinator, expressed hope that the new Constituent Assembly would be able to promulgate the new Constitution within the stipulated timeframe of a year.
She underlined the need to establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission in line with global norms and practices.
