Breaking Barriers to Justice

“As it embarks on the final stages of the peace process with transitional justice… the United Nations stands ready to support Nepal to develop a process that meets international standards, the Supreme Court’s rulings, and the needs of victims – and to put it into practice.” – António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, while on an official visit to Nepal in October 2023. “Even though I’ve lost my husband, when I was registering the case, I felt that I was progressing. I felt a sense of peace almost, and growing confidence. At last, I was able to speak. Right now, there is no way for me even to get my husband’s pension. Either they have to tell me that my husband is no longer alive and give me the body. Or they should give me hope. The people who did this should be made to stand in a court of law.” – Yog Maya Dahal whose husband was forcibly disappeared by security forces in 2002. Despite a court case and other promised investigations, she said that there is no apparent progress. It has been almost two decades since the civil war in Nepal ended in 2006 with the Comprehensive Peace...