Kathmandu: Human rights groups in Nepal have welcomed the arrest of a Nepalese Army colonel in the UK on allegations of torture in conflict period, inspite of the ruling Maoists defending the officer.
“It is a welcome indication of the UK’s readiness to comply with its international obligations in combating torture. It could also be an important step for victims failed by the Nepali justice system,” Amnesty International said in a statement.
The UK police on January 3 arrested the 46-year-old high-ranking army officer on suspicion of torture of detainees in 2005, during the decade long civil war. “This arrest may prove to be a welcome step towards accountability, but it also really highlights the Nepal government’s failure to provide justice for the thousands of victims of torture, enforced disappearance, unlawful killings and other human rights abuses in the country,” said Polly Truscott, Deputy Asia-Pacific Director of AI.
“Despite repeated promises by the government of Nepal, there has yet to be any meaningful investigations into the multitude of abuses committed by both government forces and Maoist combatants during Nepal’s civil war,” says the statement issued by London based Amnesty International.
The officer, identified as Lama, was arrested from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, based on a complaint filed by Advocacy Forum Nepal that said he was responsible for torture of a person identified as Rawat in army custody during the Maoist insurgency.
The arrest of Lama opens the possibility of arresting senior political figures and security officers involved in serious human rights violations in future, according to a government source.
The Nepal government has summoned the UK ambassador in Kathmandu to protest the arrest and called for immediate release of the arrested man.
Local human rights activists have demanded that the government address some emblematic cases, including the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict against former Maoist lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungl, convicted of murder, so as to assure the international community of Nepal’s serious intent to punish perpetrators of human rights abuses, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Meanwhile, the media reports said that the UN Department of Peace Keeping Operations has initiated a process to remove Nepal Army Colonel Lama from the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) where he is serving as a military observer.
UCPN-Maoist spokesman Agni Sapkota has lodged strong protest to the UK government for its “direct interference in Nepal’s internal affairs”. (PTI)