Five conflict victims’ organizations seek urgent meeting with UN Secretary General

Five conflict victims’ organizations have sought an urgent meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who is currently on a four-day official visit to Nepal, to share their collective pain and experience of the TJ process so far.

“Secretary General, between now and the time of your departure on Wednesday morning, we request you to find time for a meeting so that victims’ representatives may share with our collective pain, experience of the TJ process thus far, our efforts for credible TJ process and suggestions,” reads a statement signed by Rupesh Shah, Chairperson Nepali Society of Families of Disappeared and Missing Nepal (NEFAD), Surendra KC, Chairperson of National Network of Disabled Conflicts Victims, Srijana Singh, Chairperson of Conflict Victim Women National Network (CVWN), Gopal Shah, Chairperson of Conflict Victims National Alliance (CVNA) and Kalyan Budhathoki, Acting Chairperson Conflict Victims Common Platform (CVCP).

“We are happy that Nepal’s peace process and transitional justice form a prominent part of your current visit’s agenda. We have been gratified by your public call for our transitional justice process to follow precepts of international humanitarian law, judgements of Nepal’s Supreme Court and the needs of conflict victims,” according to the statement.

They, however, expressed their displeasure over not including them, the victims of Nepal’s decade-long conflict, in his itinerary.

“As far as the peace process is concerned, we note that your scheduled meetings have been with the leaders of the former warring sides but not citizens who were victimized by the actions of the state on the one hand and the rebels on the other,” the statement further reads.

Underscoring that Nepal’s peace process has the possibility of succeeding where so many others have failed and stand as an example for post-conflict societies, they said that it is important to ensure success of the Nepali process with immediate provision of reparation to victims and a principled truth, justice, reparation and reconciliation process that includes accountability of heinous crime.

“While our own government has not been enthused to arrange a meeting between us, we hope that his request for an appointment by us victims, united regardless of the source of our pain will be considered positively by you,” the statement further reads.