Conflict victims urge Prime Minister Shah to advance transitional justice process

Kathmandu: The conflict victims’ community has called on Prime Minister Balendra Shah to take the transitional justice process to a logical conclusion through an open letter.

In the letter submitted by 40 organizations representing conflict victims, the community has demanded that the transitional justice process be meaningfully advanced. The letter expresses optimism toward the current government, which has received nearly two-thirds support in Parliament, stating that it is expected to fulfill its historical responsibility by ensuring victims’ rights to truth, justice, and reparation.

“We express our heartfelt congratulations to you on behalf of the conflict victim community for assuming the important responsibility of the country’s executive head with nearly two-thirds support in Parliament,” the letter states. “We firmly believe that the government under your leadership has the capacity, willpower, and moral foundation to guide the transitional justice process in the right direction.”

The letter also notes that the transitional justice process has not been included in the government’s draft national commitment or its 100-point governance agenda.

It outlines six key demands, including incorporating transitional justice as a priority in the national commitment, ensuring the exit of current commissioners through appropriate procedures, addressing legal issues related to the legitimacy of the existing commission through amendments, and ensuring that future commissioner appointments are transparent, competitive, and victim-friendly. It also calls for the adoption of a victim-centered working system.

Suman Adhikari, founding president of the Conflict Victims’ Common Chautari, urged the government to take concrete steps to guarantee the long-delayed rights to truth, justice, and reparation, and to prioritize the issue, which has remained unresolved for two decades.