Nepal: Amnesty condemns killing of Ganesh Chiluwal

Nepal: Amnesty International condemns killing of Ganesh Chiluwal

Amnesty International has condemned the killing of Ganesh Chiluwal, head of the Maoist Victims' Association (MVA), in Kathmandu on 15 February.

Ganesh Chiluwal was reportedly shot dead by two armed men at the offices of the association in Bagbazar. The killing is believed to have been carried out by members of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) (Maoist).

"Such killings of civilians are in contravention of international humanitarian law. The CPN (Maoist) should take steps to abide by the principles stated in Article 3, common to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which promotes respect for civilians and prohibits reprisals and summary executions of those not actively engaged in the conflict," said Amnesty International.

"We welcome reports that the authorities have initiated an investigation into the assassination of Ganesh Chiluwal, and urge that the findings be made public as soon as possible," the organization said.

The MVA is an organization working for the welfare of victims of Maoist abuses. The killing of the MVA leader may be linked to an anti-Maoist rally held by the organization on 13 February, the anniversary of the launch of the Maoist insurgency in 1996, at which effigies of CPN (Maoist) leaders, Dr Baburam Bhattarai and Chairman Prachanda were reportedly burnt.

Background

Amnesty International has recently concluded a two week visit to Nepal, during which a delegation met with government authorities including the Prime Minister, members of the Royal Nepal Army human rights cell, and other senior members of security forces personnel to raise its concerns about reports of an escalation of human rights abuses by the security forces and the CPN (Maoist) in the context of the armed conflict.

Amnesty International investigated abuses by the CPN (Maoist), including the killing and abduction of civilians and the forced recruitment and indoctrination of school students.

The organization made public twenty steps -- which if implemented by the government and CPN (Maoist) -- could significantly improve the human rights situation. In particular, it urged both sides to the conflict to sign the Human Rights Accord, which would provide for the establishment of up to five regional offices of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), with technical assistance provided by the United Nations (UN).

View all AI documents on Nepal: http://amnesty-news.c.tep1.com/maabW6Paa4rlJbb0hPub/

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