Kathmandu, December 1

The Conflict Victims Common Platform has written a letter to the House of Representatives, requesting it to call a meeting of the parliamentary committee and ensure that the committee formed to recommend commissioners of two transitional justice bodies carries out its duties and responsibilities in a fair manner.

As the five-member committee published a list of 61 aspiring candidates to be appointed to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances on November 18, CVCP opposed the move stating that the independent committee acted as per the direction of political parties. CVCP has raised concerns that the government will simply reappoint past commissioners or make political appointments.

A recent meeting between top three leaders Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Co-chair Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba had decided to retain old members at the Commission on the Investigation of Enforced Disappearances .

The meet also decided to make two new appointments at the TRC, Ganesh Datta Bhatta as chair and Gangadhar Adhikari as member, while retaining rest three old members.

The committee then published a list of candidates in line with the same agreement. The move of the committee suggested that the commissions would be re-constituted without amending the legal framework governing the transitional justice process and ensuring its compliance with Nepal’s international human rights law obligations, as directed by Supreme Court and demanded by the victims.

International rights bodies had warned that the commissions would not gain trust of the victims and the international community if the political parties continued to interfere in the

appointment process.

The letter written by Conflict Victims Common Platform  to the Parliament read, “The committee has even recommended those names, who were dismissed by the lower House on the ground of their incapacity and inefficiency. Continuity of the old faces, already deemed incompetent to hold the position of commissioners has played with the sentiments of the conflict victims.” The letter further stated, “It is also in contravention of the Transitional Justice Act passed by this Parliament. Therefore, we want the House of Representatives to call a meeting of the concerned Parliamentary Committee and seek clarifications from the committee members in this regard, besides directing them not to act contrary to the existing law.”