KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought the copy of the government decision to extend the tenure of the UN Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights-Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal).

“We have sought the copy of the decision through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” a source at the NHRC told The Himalayan Times today.

According to the source, the constitutional rights body has doubts over the government decision to provide major authority, more than the NHRC, to the OHCHR-Nepal. “We want to look and see the decision,” the source added. Few days before, the government extended the OHCHR-N’s tenure by three months.

“Definitely, we want to see whether the decision is compatible with the agreement between the NHRC and the UN body signed on 20 February, 2009,” the source added. Settling their prolonged differences, the national and UN rights bodies signed the agreement for the promotion of rights in the country, after the OHCHR-Nepal agreed to play a supportive role to the NHRC.

“Providing equal role to the UN body is unlikely because the Interim Constitution has assigned the sole authority for human rights protection in the country to the NHRC,” the source added. The NHRC commissioners recently submitted a memorandum to PM MK Nepal, asking the latter to address their grievances. The OHCHR-Nepal has been working in Nepal since 2005. Its mandate has already been extended thrice.

‘Curb spiralling crime graph’

KATHMANDU: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today urged the government for an effective security mechanism to curb the rising criminal activities and violation of law in the country.

The NHRC’s call came in the wake of repeated murders by the mobs on the charge of abduction. The constitutional human rights watch expressed dissatisfaction over the mobs’ activities to take people under control and kill them suspecting criminals.

“Even if people take a person under control in any suspicion, they should be handed over to police,” said the NHRC.”If any suspect is tortured or killed after s/he is taken under control, that, too is a crime,” it said. — HNS