Commissioned to fail

The wrong picks for office-bearers of the two TJ bodies will result in flawed justice.

In August this year, the three major parties—the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML and the CPN (Maoist Centre)—joined hands to pass the long-stuck bill to amend the Enforced Disappearances Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act-2014. Their action was widely hailed as a big milestone in Nepal’s transitional justice process. But now, when time has come to pick the candidates for the two important transitional justice bodies—the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP)—which have been without office-bearers since 2022, the parties are faltering. The names shortlisted as potential office-bearers of these commissions have sparked controversy, with conflict victims accusing the parties of overlooking their concerns.