NOVEMBER 10, 2011 Freedom Forum has been seriously concerned over a recent decision of the government effort to withdraw the murder case of the UCPN-Maoist's lawmaker, Bal Krishna Dhungel.
Yet again, the government led by Maoist Vice-Chairman Dr Baburam Bhattarai appointed Surya Man Dong, one of the accomplices in the murder of Arjun Lama of Kavre district as a minister of state for energy.
Both of these decisions of the Maoist-led government have created a furor and grave concern in the sector of human rights. These ill-efforts of the UCPN-Maoist have debunked the real behavior of the Maoist which is almost against human rights and democratic norms and values. The government has mocked the rule of law thereby promoting impunity in the country.
Maoist lawmaker Dhungel, hailing from Okhaldhunga district, had shot to death Ujjan Kumar Shrestha of his district on June 24, 1998. Following the incident, he joined the Maoist revolution to fend off the punishment.
However, the courts from district level to the Supreme Court; he has been convicted of the crime. The Supreme Court had already decided to imprison Dhungel throughout life with the confiscation of properties for his direct involvement in the killing of Shrestha.
Similarly, another lawmaker of the same party hailing from Kavre district, Dong was involved in the murder of Lama on April 29, 2005.
These incidents have come in a series of Maoist's failures to be true to their repeated commitments on human rights in spite of embarking on mainstream politics and signing numerous peace agreements.
It is not the first time the Maoist did so, the erstwhile government led by Jhalanath Khanal (CPN-UML leader) had also appointed a Maoist leader Agni Prasad Sapkota as the Minister for Information and Communication who also was involved in the murder of Shrestha in Kavre district.
To sheer mockery of rule of law, human rights and justice, a meeting of the Council of Ministers even dared to make a decision to request the President to award general amnesty to the culprit Dhungel in spite of sending him behind the bar.
With the International Day of Impunity being observed across the globe, Nepal is undergoing such situation.
It vividly depicts how the rule of law, democracy, human rights and justice are suppressed and violated in Nepal by the political parties thereby promoting impunity. Freedom Forum strongly urges the government to withdraw its request to the President to condone Dhungel and sack state minister Dong and send them behind bars.
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Taranath Dahal
Chairman
Freedom Forum