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Human Rights – 2013

The human rights situation did not improve in 2013. For lack of political commitment to prosecute those responsible for conflict era human rights abuses, a culture of impunity prevails. On allegations of human rights abuses against Nepali people, especially for torturing two civilians in an army barrack in 2005, Colonel Kurma Lama from the Nepal Army was arrested in in Great Britain in January 2013.¹ The Nepal government had asked for the immediate release of the colonel (“Nepal’s Colonel Kumar Lama held after court appearance,” BBC News, January 5 , 2013). The government hired internationally recognized Kingslay Napley law firm to defend Col. Lama.² The country’s top human rights monitoring mechanism, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), had no commissioners since 16 September as the government allowed the terms of all commissioners to expire and did not appoint new commissioners.³ The NHRC had called for the prosecution of those responsible for conflict era human rights violations.

1. “UK defends decision to prosecute Nepalese colonel accused of torture,” The Guardian, January 6 , 2013
2. “Pinochet lawyers take up Col Lama case,” Kathmandu Post, January 24, 2013.
3. “Nepal: Appoint Independent Rights Commissioners,” Human Rights Watch, September 19, 2013.