Kathmandu, April 7
International human rights organisation, Amnesty International, has reported that Nepal’s human rights situation remained poor through the year 2020.
In its annual State of the World Human Rights Report released on Wednesday, the rights watchdog says the Nepal government was not responsible for protecting individuals’ rights during the lockdown and other times whereas impunity was rife.
Likewise, the state failed to secure justice in relation to the human rights violations committed during the 1996-2006 war, according to the report.
The Nepal section of the report has been summarised as:
“Legislation limiting the rights to freedom of expression and privacy remained pending. Security forces detained individuals for spreading misinformation and criticising the government during the Covid-19 pandemic. Protesters were detained and security forces continued to use excessive force to disperse protesters and enforce lockdowns. Efforts towards securing justice, truth and reparation for crimes under international law and human rights violations committed during the 1996-2006 conflict remained grossly inadequate. Indigenous families were forcibly evicted and their homes destroyed. Sexual and gender-based violence continued with impunity. Gender-based discrimination continued in both law and practice. Dozens of abuses against Dalits were reported and abuses were often carried out with impunity. The government did not take adequate measures to protect Nepali migrant workers stranded and otherwise affected by the pandemic abroad.”
