In a statement issued in Geneva on Friday, UN Human Rights spokesperson Ropert Colville said OHCHR recommends that state personnel alleged of involvement in human rights violations should be suspended pending proper investigation. [break]
"We urge the government of Nepal to ensure that no further decisions regarding the extension in tenures and promotions of officials implicated in such cases are taken until the completion of full, transparent and impartial investigations," he said.
Colville said lack of accountability for army officials implicated in alleged past human rights violations not only damages the credibility of the NA but also sends a public message that undermines the rule of law in Nepal.
The concern of the OHCHR followed media reports that NA had requested the government to promote Basnet. In a report released on May 26, 2006, the OHCHR said it received consistent, credible and corroborated testimony of arbitrary detention, torture and disappearances in Bhairabnath Battalion commanded by Basnet.
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