Publication of the Human Rights Yearbook 2006 of INSEC

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is pleased to announce you that the Human Rights Yearbook 2006 of the Informal Sector Service Centre (INSEC), a member of OMCT SOS-Torture network, which monitors the human rights situation in Nepal from January to December 2005, was launched on sunday.

In 2005, the human rights situation seriously worsened in Nepal, as highlighted throughout the year by INSEC and OMCT’s activities, notably following the Royal Proclamation on 1st February 2005. Since then, the State was engaged in the violation of human rights and humanitarian laws in the name of ending the conflict. There was suspension of civil and political rights and the State used every measure to suppress the peaceful protest programmes of political parties and civil society.

This year, the prolonged conflict claimed the lives of 1,524 persons - 815 from security persons and 709 from the Maoists.In 2005, Nepal witnessed unilateral ceasefire from the Maoists for four months. Though national and international communities appreciated it, the government was reluctant to reciprocate. This made clear that the government was not in the mentality to find peaceful solution to the ongoing crisis.

During the unilateral ceasefire 85 persons were killed by the State and 24 persons by the Maoists. Notable thing was the reduction in the per day killings during the ceasefire.Maoists were also involved in abuse of human rights and violation of international humanitarian laws. They abducted 32,857 persons this year, most of them being school children. Child rights was breached most from the Maoist activities this year.

After February 1, 2005, the trend to re-arrest political activists and human rights defenders by defying the court verdicts increased dramatically. As per INSEC documentation, as many as 84 persons were re-arrested in 11 months of the King's direct rule. Some of them were re-arrested from the even Supreme Court.

As many as 100 cases of re-arrest have been recorded in INSEC.The absence of security institution in the rural areas helped the criminal groups operate freely. Such groups killed 371 persons out of 1,895 persons in the year 2005.The positive change in the human rights situation was the establishment of an Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the country. It must be taken as the affect of the establishment of the office at different regions that the number of disappearance this year reduced to 120 as compared to 313 in 2004.

The World Organisation Against Torture currently constitutes the main international coalition of NGOs fighting torture. It operates the SOS-Torture network composed of over 282 full-fledged member organisations and maintains working relations with a large number of local and regional NGOs. It daily addresses urgent appeals to dozens of thousands of representatives of institutions and individuals, and provides victims of torture with medical, social and/or legal assistance.