Kathmandu, August 2
Nepal is capable of ensuring transitional justice on its own and the international community should not interfere in the country’s internal affairs, says Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali.
Gyawali’s comments come a few days after four prominent international rights organisations issued a statement criticising the government for failing to expedite transitional justice. In an interview with Onlinekhabar, the minister said that the government and other stakeholders were working to speed up transitional justice. He said the government was taking its time to appoint office bearers to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on the Disappeared to ensure that the mechanisms become trust-worthy.
Gyawali, who was also a member of the inter-party taskforce formed to settle the peace process, said undue foreign interest in the transitional justice process will only make the issue more complicated. “We are taking time because we want the mechanisms to be trust-worthy. We want the process to address the concerns of the victims and take into consideration the prevailing laws, the Supreme Court’s orders, our international commitments, and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Their (the foreigner’s) undue interest in the process will make things more complicated.”
Nepal showed the world a unique example of a peace process and it can settle transitional justice on its own, the minister explained. He said that although the concerns of the international community need to be taken on a positive note, no one should try to complicate the successful peace process. “We have already replied to the OHCHR regarding its concerns related to the transitional justice mechanisms,” said Gyawali referring to the 10-page letter the UN body sent to the government in April demanding that the government pay attention to multiple concerns raised by national and international stakeholders.
Gyawali’s comments come as the government committee formed in March to recommend new office bearers for the two commissions fails to do so. Reports say that the commission could not name the office bearers because of political interference. International bodies such as Amnesty International are demanding that the government halt the appointment process until the Truth and Reconciliation Act is amended in accordance with the Supreme Court’s 2015 verdict and Nepal’s international commitments.
