Professionals, activists’ concern over impunity

Kathmandu, January 16:

Journalists, rights activists, engineers, professors and doctors today expressed their solidarity with the Sunday’s nationwide rally to be organised by the Federation of Nepali Journalists, urging the FNJ to lead the protests against impunity and establish a rule of law in the country.

Stating that the culture of impunity had taken a new height due to the irresponsibility of

the people in power, they urged the ruling coalition to ensure rule of law.

Speaking at a programme organised by FNJ at Department of Information, Dharmendra Jha, FNJ president, said, “The rising culture of impunity in the country is rewarding the culprits,” adding, “A case in point is the murder of Uma Singh, a Radio Today journalist.”

He alleged the government of fooling the people by declaring the dead as martyrs and providing compensation to the bereaved families.

Purushottam Dahal of Human Rights and Peace Society said the public’s faith in the government was declining each day. He said, “Rather than appointing the culprits in the central committee, the ruling party should probe Uma’s murder.” “If the government threatens to take over state power in case it fails, the public might also adopt the same tactic to get their things done.”

Rights activist Krishna Pahadi said the state of impunity had reached its peak. “The government must ratify International Criminal Court Statute to lessen impunity,” said Pahadi, cautioning the political parties not to disrupt the CA meetings as part of their protest.

“If the government fails to take action against the murderers, the public will assume that the government itself is involved in the murder” he said. “If the government keeps on promoting impunity, not only Norway but also many other countries will shut the the doors for it.”

Er Kishor Shakya, president of Nepal Engineers’ Association, said the protest should expose the government’s wrong doings.