Call for amendments to the Transitional Justice Bill

Kathmandu, July 25: The Amnesty International, International Commission of Jurists, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International have suggested the concerned authorities to amend the bill relating to transitional justice so that it conforms to international legal standards.

Issuing a statement here today, they said that even though there are some signs of improvement in the bill brought by the government of Nepal to establish accountability, the bill in its current state will not provide complete justice to the victims and Nepal's obligations under international law will not be fulfilled.

"Victims and their families, who have been waiting for long for the amendment of the law to see their demands met are disappointed," said Mandira Sharma, Senior International Legal Advisor at the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ). This will prevent many perpetrators from being brought to justice."

Although the new bill has removed some of the amnesty provisions that existed before, it is still impossible to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity, the statement said. They say that many provisions of the new bill, including restrictions on the right of appeal, will also prevent the establishment of accountability according to international legal standards. (RSS)