Nepal parliament passes bill on transitional justice mechanism

Nepal's Parliament has passed a landmark bill concerning the setting up of a transitional justice system to look into war-era human rights violations and provide justice to the victims, a media report said Saturday.

Parliament passed the bill on the formation of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and a Commission on Enforced Disappearance (CED) late Friday, Xinhua reported.

The formation of TRC and CED is a major part of Nepal's peace process initiated in 2006 when a 10-year violent civil war ended.

It came as a major pre-requisite by the opposition Unified Communist Party of Nepal (UPCN)-Maoist before the country's constitution drafting process starts.

After passing the bill, the Nepalese government will initiate the process of appointing a chairperson of the commissions.

"TRC bill has accommodated the suggestions from all walks of life," Law Minister Nara Hari Acharya said in Parliament.

The commissions will investigate all the crimes committed during the civil war in which more than 13,000 people lost their lives while thousands are still reported to be missing.

The Nepalese civil war was an armed conflict between government forces and Maoist fighters which lasted from 1996 until 2006.

The conflict was started by the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)-Maoist 13 Feb 1996 with the aim of overthrowing the Nepalese monarchy and establishing a 'People's Republic'.

After lasting for a decade, it ended with the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed 21 Nov 2006 which allowed the Maoists to take part in government and place their weapons under UN monitoring.