Clear Culpability
“Disappearances” by Security Forces in Nepal

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Nepal’s Obligations under International Law

Prohibition of enforced disappearances

Duty to investigate

Redress for victims

IV. “Disappearances”

Perpetrators

Victims

Modus operandi

Evidence of killings in custody

Evidence of torture in custody

V. Factors contributing to the crisis of “disappearances”

The government’s failure to acknowledge and end “disappearances.”

Inadequate legal framework

Impunity of the security forces

Impotence of the courts

Obstruction of the work of the National Human Rights Commission

VI. Nepals’ Record in Addressing Human Rights Abuses and “Disappearances”

The government’s pledge to uphold human rights

Government investigations into “disappearances”

Legalizing illegal detention: The Sundarijal Investigation Center

VII. The Role of the International Community

VIII. Recommendations

To the government of Nepal

To the international community

Appendix - pdf file (93 pages, 8 Mb)