Citizens caution UN Secretary-General to ‘spoilers’ of peace process

Kathmandu: Eminent citizens of Nepal have sent a note of caution to the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, over the possibility of national and international ‘spoilers’ wanting to foist a perpetrator-friendly ending to the peace process in the name of elapsed time and geopolitical expediency.

They expressed such concern by issuing a statement on Tuesday. The statement signed by Dr Gauri Shankar Lal Das, Former Commissioner of National Human Rights Commission, Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal, Member of Parliament and Former Foreign Minister, Hira Bishwakarma, Scholar and Social Activist, Sushil Pyakurel, Former Commissioner of National Human Rights Commission, Tika P Dhakal, Political Scientist and Former Advisor to the President of Nepal and Kanak Mani Dixit, writer and journalist also expresses sadness over the fact that the visiting UN chief failed to manage time to meet the victims of the decade-long conflict, the key stakeholders of Nepal’s transitional justice process. “We were most heartened by your public acknowledgement and appreciation of Nepal’s homegrown peace process, and your highlighting the importance of the precepts of international law as well as Nepal’s Supreme Court judgements in order to bring Nepal’s transitional justice process to a just and humanitarian closure,” the statement says. “In this connection, Mr. Secretary-General, allow us to note with sadness that your visit was incomplete for not having met with the victims of Nepal’s decade-long conflict.”

“It is the victims, as the main stakeholders, who ensured through years of lonely struggle that opportunistic politicians and other players did not derail our transitional justice process,” the statement further says. “While you did meet the two erstwhile warring sides, you were not able to meet the victims of conflict even though representatives of five organizations had submitted a letter on the morning of 30 October seeking an appointment,” the citizens wrote in the statement. “Looking ahead, we are hopeful that your position on the prerequisites for Nepal’s transitional justice process will help guarantee a just and proper conclusion.”

(Full statement here:)

[Related: Members of conflict victims police family urge the UN chief to heed their plights]

[Related: Nepal’s conflict victim organizations seek meeting with UN Secretary General]