Nepal Crisis

Rights Organizations Welcome the Establishment of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mechanism

April 12, 2005

We, the Nepalese human rights community, welcome the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and Nepal's new regime for the establishment of a high-level human rights monitoring mechanism in Nepal. The MOU was signed to monitor the increasing human rights abuses in the country as a result of intensive pressure at the ongoing 61 st UN Commission of Human Rights meeting in Geneva. We express our sincere gratitude for this historical step of the UN responding to the call by the human rights community, democratic forces and civil society to reduce increasing human rights threats in Nepal.

We believe that this important and positive step by the UN to establish a monitoring mechanism in Nepal has happened due to continuous raised concerns and expressed solidarity by the international community after the King's February 1 st move that systematically dismantled the political process and the rule of law. We hope that the establishment of this UN mechanism will ensure accountability and prevent increasing human rights abuses.

The establishment of an independent mechanism that maintains "impartiality, independence, objectivity and transparency" will play a key role in carrying out a rapid response against human rights abuses and establish accountability of perpetrators, including the enforcement of human rights and humanitarian laws. The establishment of the OHCHR office at the regional level with the mandate to investigate and report abuses committed by the security forces and the CPN-Maoist rebels will certainly stop impunity and increasing immunity.

The OHCHR office comprised of human rights experts will begin its duties by establishing working relationships with the state, human rights defenders, media and civil society. These special provisions will reduce the risks faced by human rights defenders and create a conducive environment for effective operation of human rights organizations.

With the signing of the MOU, the state has the responsibility to ensure a conducive environment to work freely and without fear. We believe that the regime should withdraw the "state of emergency" to establish "rule of law" and civil administration as a pre-condition of creating such an environment.

On behalf of 25 human rights organizations,

Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti
Shobhakar Budhathoki
Subodh Raj Pyakurel