OHCHR urges CPN-M to stop YCL rights abuses

The United Nations office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal on Saturday, urged the CPN-Maoist to take immediate action to stop the abuses by its youth wing, Young Communist League (YCL).

According to a press release by OHCHR-Nepal, the OHCHR Nepal representative Lena Sundh this week met with CPN-Maoist chairman Prachanda and handed over a detailed report on its findings into allegations of abuses by the YCL since December 2006 which documents abuses including abductions and ill-treatment in captivity, attacks on physical and mental integrity, and the violent disruption of political activities.

“OHCHR-Nepal has noted with concern that reports of YCL and other CPN-M abuses have started to increase again particularly since mid-April this year,” the release said.

"Most of the reports of disruption of political and other activities have been received from the Western Region, though some also in the Central and Eastern Regions. Violence related to land issues has largely been reported in the Far and Mid-Western Regions. The highest number of abductions occurred in the Western and Central Regions," said the release, adding " Many of the abductions recorded in the report occurred within the context of YCL “law enforcement” activities".

According to OHCHR-Nepal, some 24 individuals have been abducted since 28 May alone and that the persons were taken to places which were not official detention centres, interrogated, in some cases beaten and threatened before being released or handed over to police after a short period in captivity.

Stating about the YCL's activities on the grounds that the police are not taking action against criminals, the release said, "These abuses violate international human rights law, the CPA and domestic law such as the Interim Constitution. The human rights abuses committed by the YCL are contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation. They also act as a constraint on legitimate political, journalistic and other activities particularly related to freedom of expression and assembly".

The OHCHR-Nepal also urged the YCL to respect human rights commitments made under the CPA and in other agreements made in the context of the peace process to which the CPN-M is a party.

“Additionally, as part of the Government, the CPN-M has a duty to ensure that the human rights provisions of the Interim Constitution as well as international human rights treaties to which Nepal is a party are met,” the OHCHR-Nepal release said.

According to OHCHR-Nepal, Prachanda said that the “CPN-M understands OHCHR’s concerns and stressed that these YCL actions do not conform to the original intended role of the YCL, and that the organisation is also looking at steps to deal with these abuses".

“As an integral part of the CPN-M structure, the YCL is responsible ultimately to the CPN-M leadership. The YCL must respect human rights commitments made under the CPA and in other agreements made in the context of the peace process to which the CPN- is a party,” OHCHR-Nepal said.

In the report, Lena Sundh also expressed her concerns about the killings of six CPN-M/YCL cadres during the first two weeks of June, in the Western, Central and Eastern Regions and her concerns that there should be full and independent investigations into the killings to identify and punish those responsible, as well as into the killing of 27 CPN-M cadres in Gaur in March.