Kathmandu, March 1:

Human rights defenders and members of civil society today handed over a memorandum to Speaker Subas Chandra Nembang with the objective of putting pressure on the interim parliament and the government to ratify the Rome Statute.

They reminded the Speaker that the then House of Representatives (HoR), on July 25, 2006, had issued directives to the government to ratify the Rome Statute.

The memorandum has asked the government to immediately ratify the Rome Statute to ensure perpetrators are not spared and culture of impunity is brought to an end.

Speaker Nembang assured the team of rights defenders and civil society members that the interim parliament will remind the government to ratify the Rome Statute, the Amnesty International said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, nine rights and social organisations organised a corner meeting at the Maitighar Mandala. Members of the civil society and human rights activists took part in the meeting.