Human Rights Magna Meet kicks off; Nepal’s constitution human rights-friendly: NHRC

Kathmandu / Dec 9: The eighth Human Rights Magna Meet-2016 kicked off in the capital from today.

The event with the theme of ” Human Rights for Everyone at Every House, the Basis of Peace and Development: Our Inclusion based on Our Home, Participation, Justice and Diversity” is organised coinciding with the 68th International Human Rights Day.

Inaugurating the gathering, National Human Rights Commission member Prakash Wasti underlined the parallel role of every citizen to create just society with establishing political stability.

Lawmaker Nagendra Kumal lamented over what he said that the government failed to enforce agreements reached with indigenous, nationalities and dalits whose issues are directly concerned with the human rights.

Rights activists Charan Prasai, President of National Federation of Disabled Sudarshan Subedi and National Women’s Commission Acting Chair Bhagawati Ghimire stressed that the state should be serious towards the human rights issues.

Various organisations are taking part in the three-day Magna Meet.

Magna meet main organising committee coordinator Suni Lama said the enforcement of the constitution was necessary to ensure the rights of suppressed class.

The Committee this year presented the ‘Shanta-Laxmi Award’ to Muslin rights activist Najbul Khatun. The award carries a purse of Rs 10,000.

Working papers prepared on the different topic of human rights issues will be discussed during the event which will be concluded by issuing a Kathmandu declaration.

Nepal’s constitution human rights-friendly: NHRC

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said that the constitution of Nepal is human rights-friendly.

At a programme organised at Reporters’ Club on Friday, NHRC Member Sudip Pathak, however, said human rights guaranteed in the constitution must be ensured to people.

Pathak said that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and Commission on Inquiry of Enforced Disappeared Persons has already been formed as per the aspiration of the Comprehensive Peace Accord and thousands of people have filed complaints there.

Torture to prisoners yet to decline

Expressing the view that there are 6,000 prisoners in Nepal and cases of torture meted out to them have not lowered, he added.

On the occasion, Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ajay Shankar Nayak , said the government would not make any decision related to issues of human rights unilaterally by keeping the bodies concerned aside and stressed that all sides should stand together to finalize the cases related to armed conflict period.

Likewise, advocate Dr Dinesh Tripathi, human rights activists– Charan Prasai and Rajan Kuinkel– among others argued that situation of human rights was not satisfactory in Nepal and victims have not still been able to get justice. RSS