Kathmandu (dpa) - The United Nations expressed concern Thursday over a Nepalese government decision to request pardon for a lawmaker convicted of murder by the country's highest court.
On Thursday, the cabinet forwarded a written request to President Ram Baran Yadav to pardon lawmaker Bal Krishna Dhungel, who was convicted on murder charges by the Supreme Court in 2010.
The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) in Nepal expressed concern over several recent decisions by the Maoist government to appoint, promote or pardon public officials implicated in serious crimes and human rights abuses.
The government has appointed several members charged with murder or abduction as ministers and government officials, drawing fierce criticism from many sides.
The OHCHR said such decisions undermined efforts to address impunity in the country, while also tainting progress made by the government on the peace process ending a Maoist insurgency.
"Such decisions will establish a trend to entrench impunity and send the wrong message at the wrong time," said Jyoti Sanghera, head of OHCHR in Nepal.
"The government should respect Nepal's judiciary and the rule of law," Sanghera added.
The Maoist government decision to request clemency for Dhungel has also drawn flak from the opposition and fringe parties in parliament. Human rights activists took to the streets in protest on Wednesday.
Dhungel, who was already a lawmaker in 2010, was sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in a murder in 1998, when the country was mired in civil war.
The Maoists joined mainstream politics through the 2008 elections, after waging a decade-long insurgency, which ended in 2006 with the signing of a peace-deal with the government.
dpa pt hm
No comments:
Post a Comment