In its official reaction on the report that chronicles some 30,000 documents and cases of the insurgency-era human rights violations that took place during the decade-long Maoist insurgency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said since the report has been prepared without prior consent of the government and proper consultation with all stakeholders, the process itself is not compatible with general international practice. “Therefore, the legitimacy of the report itself is under question,” said a press statement issued by MoFA.[break]
MoFA said OHCHR did not prepare the report as per the cooperation modality. “Therefore, the government of Nepal strongly objects to the contents of the report,” the statement said.
OHCHR published the report despite repeated requests of the government to put the report on hold. In a series of meeting with the envoy from various European Union (EU) countries and UN-OHCHR officials, the government has requested OHCHR to put the report on hold, arguing that the move could seriously jeopardize the ongoing peace process in the country.
The statement also said that the publication of the report at a time when Nepal is passing through a transition is out context and that it had no relevance. “The report does not contain any positive aspects of the achievements made so far in the peace and constitution drafting process,” the statement further said.
MoFA also clarified that the government has forwarded the draft ordinance on transitional justice mechanism to the president´s office for approval. Stating that the proposed ordinance contains, among other things, the provisions for the establishment of Truth and Reconciliation and Enforced Disappearance Commission to address the concerns of the conflict victims, the statement added, “It, in no way, denies justice to the victims and their families.”
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