Task force on transitional justice begins discussions

Kathmandu, July 3: A taskforce formed to forge a consensus on dissenting provisions in the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC) Bill held its first meeting today.     

The meeting focused its discussions on the dissenting issues over the Bill designed to amend the Acts concerning the Commission of the Enforced Disappeared Persons, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.     

According to task force member Mahesh Bartaula, the discussions aimed to find a consensus on the differing voices over the Bill, focusing on primarily the provisions about serious violations of human rights, the definition of murder, incidents that took place during the armed conflict and the conflict-affected, and the Auditor General's role in the cases of serious human rights violation. "The taskforce is expected to find a conclusion soon," he added.     

Another task force member Ramesh Lekhak said the meeting went positively while another member Janardan Sharma expressed hope to find a consensus soon.     

The task force formed a few days ago consists of Lekhak from the Nepali Congress, Bartaula from the CPN (UML) and Sharma from the CPN (Maoist Centre) as its members. It is mandated to build a collective opinion on four dissenting provisions in the Bill.(RSS)