(Hong Kong, 20 May, 2009) The Asian Human Rights Commission has broadcast an interview with Ms. Mandira Sharma, prominent human rights lawyer and director of Nepalese NGO, Advocacy Forum. In the interview last month, Sharma explained to the AHRC’s Norman H. Voss that the high rate of human rights violations in Nepal stems from a deep set culture of impunity, in which those who torture, extort and kill are rarely brought to trial. She notes that the legal system is simply failing to function and that its different mechanisms have long been broken.
The failure to address these problems means that powerful criminals remain free and victims of crime are losing faith in the legal system. Sharma gives an overview of the system’s break down, and the pros and cons of the avenues that are still open for those who want to complain. The Advocacy Forum has been supporting torture victims by pushing for the return to a strong rule of law, examining human rights issues and monitoring the culture of impunity. Sharma worries that the country’s laws are not sufficient when it comes to processing torture cases, which are growing in number by the day.
The activist also casts doubt on the levels of compensation being awarded those victimised during Nepal’s armed resistance movement, and during its transitional period. Staffs at the forum have been representing victims despite the heavy threat of harm from the perpetrators, who often hold positions of power. They have documented and monitored cases of torture, forced disappearances, the sexual abuse of women, and cases of children forced to join the various armed factions. In particular, they have been closely monitoring police detention centres, where often human rights are regularly and severely violated. The police, Sharma notes, often tend to be more of an active hindrance than a help in the investigation of human rights abuse.
The AHRC has uploaded the interview (Part 1 and 2) onto YouTube. Please take a look at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb63mdjXfko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7OTex97_ro
