UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS WORKING GROUP ON ENFORCED OR INVOLUNTARY DISAPPERANCES TO VISIT NEPAL

3 December 2004

The Working Group on enforced or involuntary disappearances of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights will begin a field visit to the Kingdom of Nepal on 6 December to discuss cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances in the country. The panel of experts also intends to examine the overall situation regarding the phenomenon of enforced disappearances.

During the visit, scheduled to last until 14 December 2004, the Working Group plans to meet with, among others, His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Home Ministry and the National Human Rights Commission, heads of the Police and the Army, officials from the Judiciary, as well as representatives of civil society and private individuals, including people from outside Kathmandu. Because of limitations of time, the Working Group will not travel outside the capital, but it has allocated funds to ensure that NGOs from the regions will be able come to Katmandu to meet with the Working Group to present their concerns. The Working Group also plans to visit a prison and an investigation centre.

The Working Group was established by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist the relatives of disappeared persons in ascertaining their fate and whereabouts and to act as a channel for communication between the families and governments concerned.

The panel also monitors the compliance of States with their obligations under the Declaration on the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance adopted by the General Assembly on 18 December 1992.


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