Both the State and the Maoists violated Human Rights :NHRC

Kathmandu Dec 30-National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said a total of 26 people lost their lives during the unilateral ceasefire announced by the CPN (Maoist) in the country.Addressing a function organized to launch the report on Friday, member of NHRC Sudip Pathak said though number of killings during the period came down, both the security forces and Maoist rebels continued rights violations during the period.

According to NHRC, there was no let up in activities like forced donations and abductions by rebels even during the ceasefire announced by themselves. The parties in the conflict were found to be using minors to convey messages, torturing their opponents and using schools as their bases, the NHRC said.

The NHRC has marked the formation of controversial media ordinance and forceful confiscation of transmitting equipments from Radio Sagarmatha and Kantipur FM as violation of rights to information. The reports said journalists outside the valley are facing threats from both the government and Maoists not to write news to criticize them and also receiving threats for not abiding by their orders.

The report also mentioned that Maoists are violating people’s right to education by organizing various programmes in schools and also warning not to teach moral education in the school level and not to operate community schools.NHRC member Pathak said, “Forceful collection of donations from teachers has increased during the period.”

Similarly, security personnel were found to be traveling in means of public transport along with the weapons, the report said. Earlier, the Royal Nepalese Army said it had instructed security personnel not to use public vehicles while on duty and along with arms and ammunition.The report further said, security forces created obstacles in importing medicines in remote parts of the country making the approval of local administration mandatory in import of medicine and the Maoists also forcefully took medicines from health posts and closed missions hospital in Okhaldhunga district.

The report also said that both the sides also created obstacles in people’s profession. “Security forces did not allow free movement of goods of entrepreneurs and the Maoists either asked heavy donations from the people involved in such profession and also tortured family members of the security personnel,” the report adds.The report also said that the incident of displacement due to the Maoists’ threats continued during the period as well.

Both the state and the Maoists violated children’s rights during the period of ceasefire as well, the report said.“Security forces used children to receive information about the Maoists in Khotang district, while Maoists are using children as soldiers and engaging them in various activities,” the report said.“Both the sides violated human rights and international humanitarian laws during the period of unilateral ceasefire as well,” the report added.

The CPN (Maoist) had announced three-month-long unilateral ceasefire on September 3, this year keeping in view of what it said “Nepali people’s desire for peace.” The rebels again extended the ceasefire for another one month, which will come to an end on January 2, 2006.
NHRC welcomed the Moist ceasefire and also called upon the government to reciprocate it. The government has not done so saying that the rebels can’t be trusted.

A report compiled by the NHRC after monitoring the ceasefire in 33 out of 75 districts in the country said the state killed 22 people in 12 districts during the period while the rebels killed four people in as many districts during the period.A data compiled by NHRC from various media reports by comparing the situation three months before the ceasefire and during the ceasefire shows that there is decrease in explosions and killings from both the government and the Maoists.However, the data shows increment in the abduction and number of Maoists surrendering before the security forces.