Kathmandu: The Accountability Watch Committee (AWC) has drawn serious attention to the fact that the government re-registered the Third Amendment Bill of the ‘Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 (2071)’ in the Parliament Secretariat without required amendments. On March 9, the government led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the war-time leader of Maoist party—had re-registered the Third Amendment Bill of the ‘Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2071 (2014)’ in the Parliament Secretariat, without amendments.
In the controversial ‘Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, 2014,’ presented in the last parliament session, there are several serious issues except regarding the statutory limitation (extended from 6 months to 1 year) and appeal (one can appeal to the Supreme Court against the decision of the Special Court).
The AWC has expressed its objection to re-registration of the bill by keeping the erroneous provisions in place. In the past, the stakeholders including the victim community, expressed their serious concerns in the bill and demanded for extensive amendments in the bill in terms of definition, jurisdiction of the court, prosecution, amnesty, appointment of officials in the commission, among others.
The AWC condemned the government’s move to re-register the amendment bill without fulfilling the demands of victims and stakeholders. “Through discussion and dialogue between the various stakeholders (such as the victim community, civil society, political parties and the government), the AWC strongly urges the government to prepare a roadmap to bring the transitional justice process to a valid conclusion by amending the TRC Act,” says the statement issued by AWC. The AWC has called on political parties, elected parliamentarians, civil society and the international community to be sensitive and responsible towards the transitional justice process, which has been going on for the past 16 years and has reached to a complicated stage, to play a constructive role for its logical end.
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