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31 rights groups demand suspension of NHRC office-bearers

Accusing the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of working in favour of the erstwhile royal regime, 21 human rights organizations have demanded that the office-bearers of NHRC be suspended immediately.

“Continuation of the term of the so-called office-bearers of the NHRC appointed on the recommendation of the committee of then speaker of the parliament, Taranath Ranabhat who has now resigned for fear of impeachment, and the detained then foreign minister Ramesh Nath Pandey,
and their [NHRC members] continuing activities have devalued the spirit of the peace people’s movement,” a press statement jointly issued by 31 human rights organizations said Tuesday.

“The human rights community believes that lack of initiation of relieving the pro-autocracy NHRC members by the seven parties and the government even after the establishment of the parliament and a new government is tantamount of belittling the sacrifice of the martyrs and the dedication of hundreds of thousands of Nepali people,” the statement signed by Sobhakar Budhathoki, steering committee member of the Protect Human Rights Campaign-Nepal, on behalf of the 31 rights groups further said.

Reminding that the Nepali human rights community had opposed the appointment process of the NHRC members as it was against the Paris Principles, they also accused the NHRC leadership of working against the human rights movement and the people’s movement at the behest of the previous autocratic regime.

Those signing the statement include NGO Federation, INSEC, INHURED International, CVICT, CWIN and Advocacy Forum.

The human rights groups also called for immediate termination of the present NHRC body and action against the office-bearers and urged the government and the seven parties to start the process to form a new body.

Headed by former chief justice Nayan Bahadur Khatri, the NHRC has four other members. nepalnews.com mk May 23 06