MPs Urge Protection of Landless Citizens' Human Rights and Resolution of Transitional Justice

Kathmandu. Members of Parliament have stressed the need to protect the human rights of landless citizens and bring transitional justice (TRC) to a conclusion. Speaking at a meeting of the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives held at Singha Durbar on Wednesday, they demanded proper management of landless people staying in holding centers. Nepali Congress MP Manmaya Bishwakarma, mentioning that 11 people from the Dalit community have died due to various types of violence since last August, questioned the work performance capacity of the Human Rights Commission. She also sought details from the National Human Rights Commission regarding the status of complaints filed, prosecutions, convictions, and justice received by victims in cases of caste discrimination and untouchability. Questioning the practice of the police resolving complaints of caste discrimination through social reconciliation, she also asked what action the commission had recommended against the police involved in such incidents. She said at the meeting, 'Since last August, 11 people from the Dalit community have died. This raises the question of where human rights are. How many complaints registered under the Caste Discrimination and Offenses Punishment Act have reached prosecution, how many have been convicted, and how many victims have received justice?' Expressing objection to the role of the police, she added, 'The police have been socially reconciling complaints of caste discrimination. How is the commission taking interest in such matters? And what action has the commission recommended, or not recommended, against the guilty police personnel?' Nepali Communist Party MP Balawati Sharma, mentioning that information has been received that even food distribution has been stopped for citizens in holding centers, stated that the state should not deprive landless and oppressed citizens of basic rights. She emphasized that the government must be serious about implementing the right to food, shelter, and clothing guaranteed by the constitution and objected to the act of removing landless citizens even from holding centers. She said, 'There is information that food for citizens in holding centers has been stopped since yesterday. Is being poor, landless, and oppressed a curse for the state? Do they have the right to use the basic rights of food, shelter, and clothing?' Stating her point, she added, 'Various articles of the constitution give us the right to all these things. When honorable people are in a situation where they cannot find a place to rent, who will give shelter to the landless? Therefore, the commission and the government should pay serious attention to this matter.' Committee Chairperson Sumeera Banskota emphasized the need to move forward concretely by collaborating with stakeholders to bring the peace process and transitional justice to a conclusion. She also stated that the committee is ready to work effectively in the field of human rights protection by increasing coordination between relevant bodies based on complaints filed at the National Human Rights Commission. She said that the government is serious about concluding the TRC issue by collaborating with the government and other stakeholders. She said, 'We have sought to do concrete work on the peace agreement, reconciliation, and especially transitional justice by collaborating with stakeholders. Based on the various complaints filed at the Human Rights Commission, I think we need to move forward in collaboration.' Regarding the future course of action, she added, 'It has been said that there has been no significant achievement in the field of human rights so far, which is fine. How will we collaborate and move forward in the coming days?' Most of the MPs speaking at the meeting expressed the view that the government must be serious about reducing domestic violence, child labor, obstruction of education and health services, and various types of untouchability, and providing justice to victims of human rights violations.