Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 21:

Urges Maoists to give up arms.

The Resolution Item 19 calls on the government to restore multiparty democracy and respect the rule of law. Condemning the killings, rapes, extortions, displacements, abductions, recruitment of children and blockades, it calls on the Maoists to renounce violence, disarm themselves, comply with the international human rights laws, and enter into negotiations with the genuine intention of rejoining the political process. The resolution, which was passed unanimously by the 61st session of the Office of the United Nations High Commission for

Human Rights (OHCHR) yesterday, also calls on the government to initiate measures to put an end to extrajudicial killings and protect the rights of political leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, and peace activists.

The resolution calls for the revision of the TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Control

and Punishment Act) and the security Act. It urges the government to hold talks with political parties for the restoration of peace, democracy, and human rights. The resolution also urges the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the OHCHR to monitor cases of rights violation and urges the government to let the rights monitors meet the detainees. Switzerland,

which had sponsored the resolution, has termed the passing of the resolution as a “historical momentum.” The deputy country director at the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation in Kathmandu, Genevieve Federspiel, said, “We are ready to take the challenge, it is important

not only for Nepal, but for other countries as well to prevent human rights situation in Nepal turning from bad to worse.”