ICJ concerned about lack of rule of law here

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) urged the Nepali authorities to address the pressing public security concerns and the many rule of law issues that have arisen after the parallel system of Maoist ‘people’s courts’ stopped functioning.“Lack of clarity in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) as to which mechanisms were to be put in place to ensure the full implementation of the provisions on dissolving parallel judicial systems has been a major obstacle to bring justice to those whose cases were pending before Maoist “people’s courts” or who had been victimised under the Maoist system,” the ICJ press release issued here today said.The ICJ has expressed concern about the lack of mechanism replacing the Maoist-run people’s courts.“More than a year has passed since the CPA directed against any ‘parallel structure’, but no mechanisms or procedures have been put in place to ensure the many cases affected by functioning of the ‘people’s court’,” the statement said.The ICJ has also said that an advisory panel of experts could be constituted to start drawing up guidelines and help restore a sense of rule of law.“Particular attention should be drawn to the restoration of the rule of law in the Tarai region where the police remain largely absent in rural areas and the work of courts is often disrupted due to threats to civil servants, including court officials and public prosecutors,” the ICJ said.