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Friday, Feb 18, 2005

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Pressure Nepal, Amnesty urges global community

By Our Special Correspondent

Irene Khan, Secretary-General, Amnesty International

NEW DELHI, FEB. 17. Claiming that the international community had consistently failed the people of Nepal, Amnesty International today urged it not to do so again by suspending all military aid to Kathmandu in order to pressure the country to change its human rights policies.

Maoists, Army blamed

Blaming the Maoists and the Army in equal measure for the human rights crisis in Nepal, the Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, said the state of emergency by King Gyanendra "is taking the country to the brink of disaster.'' Back from a tour of Nepal, Ms. Khan said the conflict between the Maoists and the armed forces had `destroyed human rights' in the countryside and the latest development is doing the same in urban areas.

"Wherever we went, we encountered a deep senses of fear, uncertainty and insecurity among people. Nepal's civil society is being crippled by this state of emergency. Those opposing and condemning the excesses of the armed forces and the atrocities of the Maoists are being muzzled. This will serve to fuel the impunity and reinforce the ongoing cycle of human rights abuses by both the security forces and Maoists, with disastrous consequences for the ordinary people of Nepal.''

King seeks 100 days

Ms. Khan had a private audience with the King when she conveyed to him Amnesty's serious concerns about the `deteriorating human rights situation in the country' as a result of the ongoing conflict `made worse by the state of emergency.' In his response, the King had assured her of his commitment to upholding human rights and Nepal's international obligations. "The King will be judged, not by his promises, but by how those promises are put into action by his government,'' said Ms. Khan.

No improvement

Replying to queries on the King's plea to the international community to allow the emergency to last 100 days in order to usher in "peace, prosperity and improve human rights,'' she said: "Early trends give no indication of an improvement in the situation. We have seen very strict control of the media and setting aside of human rights. We don't see a positive progression from the King's statement.''

Call to U.N.

Amnesty also urged the United Nations to ensure that the estimated 3,500 Royal Nepalese Army troops stationed for peacekeeping duties in other countries had a clean record. "This is crucial to the U.N.'s image. How can troops who have killed civilians in their country be expected to protect people living in other countries?''

On its part, the organisation was undertaking "practical measures'' to allow people to get out of the country. Amnesty was confident that international pressure would rein in both the Army and the Maoists. The Maoists have made efforts to project their image in a positive manner.

For instance, they apologised for the killing of a civilian some time ago. "It is becoming very clear to them that in order to be a credible player, they must respect international laws,'' said Ms. Khan. However, she felt the judiciary had been very weak in standing up to the executive and wanted it to be more strong and assertive.

She was against cutting off developmental aid to Nepal as most of it was being channelised into the education, health and other social development programmes.

"Stopping it would impact the lives of the ordinary people.''

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