Kathmandu, January 23

German Ambassador to Nepal Roland Schaefer today said the people’s representatives should listen to the victims of war-era human rights violations.

“Those every day heroes have created a Nepal which is unique and new; a democracy, not imported but created here, in its unique fashion,” he said at an event organised in memory of the victims of the Holocaust that saw the killings of hundreds of thousands of Jews during the Second World War. “This makes it a tough call for those who are elected to find the wisdom, the listening capacity and the courage to come up with credible solutions which point towards the future.”

The ambassador said those who successfully struggled to get to the voting booth, who continued to believe and who kept engaging in the fight for democracy were called heroes.

According to him, one of them is Meera Katwal from Udaypur who lost her leg to a bomb attack while she was serving her party but her mind and spirit remained intact and combative. “We should think of them, too, on a day like this,” he said.

The ambassador also remembered victims of Nepal’s decade-long conflict. “So many have to cope with their loss, sorrow, pain, and anger. We think of them and we relate to them, not just because of their individual fate, but also because today we remember how immensely humanity in its entirety can suffer if the claims for truth, justice and reconciliation do not find adequate responses.”

He also praised the Nepali Army on the occasion. “With this future, Nepal is already now holding its place among the nations of the world. Nepal’s army’s contribution to the UN peacekeeping operations also has a specific significance today,” he said. “We think of those Nepali army men who served and commanded in UNDOV or UNIFIL– working in the region where Ambassador Omer’s home lies.”

Israel Ambassador to Nepal Benny Omer, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Nepal Anup Raj Sharma, European Union Ambassador to Nepal Veronica Cody and United Nations Resident Coordinator Valerie julliand were also present at the programme.