Washington, D.C., May 310, 2020,
The International Commission for Dalit Rights (ICDR) urges the Government of Nepal to commission immediately a high-level Federal Parliamentarian Investigation Committee for a thorough and impartial investigation on the killing of Dalits, including suspending and
prosecuting elected representatives immediately, who brutally led and participatinvolved in this occurrencethese crimes. Justice must be delivered to the victims and their families by enforcing international criminal justice and constitutional laws.
On 23 May, in the Chaurjahari Municipality of Rukum district District in Karnali Pprovince,,Nawaraj BK and his friends were stoned, abused, beaten, attacked by weapons and chased by a village mob composed offrom people of a dominant caste people, to whichwho belonged with
Nawaraj’s girlfriend also belonged. Six men, including Nawaraj BK were massacred, and their and thrown bodies were thrown into the BheriRiver. Some youths are still missing. Nawaraj went to Rukum from Jajarkot, his home district,, Jajarkot to marryiage and bring his girlfriend back to home, allegedly at his girlfriend’sher request.
21-year-old Nawaraj BK, a 21-year-old Dalit man, was in love with a girl from a so-called dominant caste. and tThe coupley decided to get married. When the girl came to knowlearned that her family wais planning to marry her to force her to marry someone from their caste, she,
asked Nawaraj to come to her home and help her to run away with him. Nawaraj BK along with his relatives and friends came to the girl’s house to save her from getting married tomarrying a man against her will. On BK’s their arrival, the girl’s mother invited a group of 50-60 men,
including local elected representatives and political leaders from her village, to attack on them. This group, as planned attacked and brutalizedly with weapons on Nawaraj and histeamsupporters. On the same day, May 23, a 12-year-old Dalit girl was raped and murdered in the Devdahavillage Village of Rupandehi districtDistrict. The day before, villagers, and local elected
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ICDR International Global Office: 1751 Pinnacle Dr., Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102 representatives including the Ward Chair forced her to marry thewith a rapist, who belongs to a dominant caste. A preliminary police investigation found that she had been raped and murdered.
“”The mMurder, rape and bigotry against Dalits and marginalized populations provide sufficiearent evidence of the Nepali Government’s acceptance of gross human rights violations and government’s unwillingness to reform broken criminal justice systems,” said D.B. Sagar,
President of ICDR. ; hHe showed expressed frustration over the inability of the government Government for not beingen able to enforce inclusive and anti-discriminatory laws. According to our ICDR’s initial report, there are more than 25 recent cases of Castecaste-based discrimination,exclusion and gross human rights violation against Dalits.
As the investigation into what happened continues, ICDR and its allies such as Dalit NGOFederation and /National Campaign of Dalit Civil Society urge immediate and decisive action to bring justice to victims’ families, including suspending and/ or prosecuting elected
representatives for their egregious disregard for human life.
The ICDR calls on its allies to be resilient and visible to ensure justice and address caste-based discrimination, inequality and injustice and to, acknowledgeing the trauma experienced by the Dalit and marginalized communities. The ICDR and its allies also strongly condemn police brutality and the excessive use of force against peaceful demonstrations organized by Dalit Civil society organizations demanding justice for victim families. The ICDR has also been working together with Dalit NGO Federation, National Campaign of Dalit Civil Society and other national and international stakeholders to ensure justice for these victims’ families and to end caste-based discrimination,
inequality and injustice. The ICDR urges the Government of Nepall government to protect the rights of the Dalit and marginalized communities and implement international and constitutional legal systems to ensure justice for all. Background Caste inequalities inequality are is still deeply rooted in the societies of Nepal. Every other day, there are reports ofabout discriminations based on caste, which often include violence and brutality against the Dalit community. This incident has caught the attention of various civil society organizations and human rights defenders who are apprehensive about the an ineffective investigation being ineffective. Caste-based discrimination is criminalized in Nepal; however, the weaker criminal justice system is perpetuating the caste discrimination practices. IThe investigations are is usually ineffective in such cases. Pand the problems starts right from registering the case and holding the reporting person accountable for the violence.
Nepal as a country has an obligation and responsibility to follow its activities according tomeet the requirements of the International Covenant on Civic and Political Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination; it must mitigate and to take action against all forms of caste-based discrimination and violence. The Government of Nepal must take strict immediate action to punish the culprits ofthose who killeding of Nawaraj and his
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ICDR International Global Office: 1751 Pinnacle Dr., Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102
families family and friends. TSince these killings are based ona manifestation of caste discrimination practices, which is a gross violation of both existing countryNepali laws as well asand international laws. ICDR and along with other Dalit rights defenders are closely
monitoring the developments in this investigation and continuing to and they are standby to fight and strive for the Dalit rights. Should the Government of Nepal Govt.'s investigation be ineffective, we are ready to conduct an independent review with international support and even take this case before the International Courts.
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