Committee Urges Aspirants: Apply Within 10 Days for Service on Two Transitional Justice Panels – International Edition (English)
Kathmandu, April 10 -- The panel responsible for selecting leaders for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons has invited applications from interested candidates.
Individuals interested in serving as chairpersons or members of the commissions have until next Friday to submit their applications, beginning this Thursday. The selection committee has outlined three methods for applying. Candidates may individually apply for either role, whereas various human rights groups and victim organizations can provide endorsements on behalf of potential candidates. In these cases, though, the organization must present proof that they have obtained the candidate’s agreement beforehand.
Likewise, the recommendation committee has the option to identify the candidates independently. This approach allows for organizational nominations alongside the committee’s direct selection process, which helps address concerns that prominent individuals may be reluctant to apply for roles within the commissions.
According to the Enforced Disappearance Inquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, individuals such as former Supreme Court and High Court justices, ex-secretary-level civil servants, or those deemed suitable for elevation to the highest judicial office can qualify for the position of chairperson of these commissions. For roles as members, candidates must possess a master’s degree, refrain from being affiliated with any political parties when applying, and demonstrate contributions to fields like human rights, conflict resolution, or legal expertise.
“We opted to launch the applications once we finalized the operational process by integrating the feedback,” stated Lily Thapa, a commission member and also a representative of the National Human Rights Commission. “We will continue consulting relevant parties up till the submission deadline.”
The committee headed by ex-chief justice Om Prakash Mishra has sought input from individuals affected during the insurgency and representatives of civil society regarding the selection procedure on Friday.
The committee headed by Mishra was established by the KP Sharma Oli administration on March 24 following consultations with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), who leads the principal opposition party in the House of Representatives. This new committee kept the same coordinator and three members as the previous panel, despite the latter’s inability to complete its tasks within a two-month timeframe.
Nonetheless, the commission is now represented by Commissioner Thapa. Previously, Commissioner Manoj Duwady had been representing the commission. The committee has until May 23rd to complete its task.
Following an assessment of the applicants' CVs, the committee plans to release a condensed list of candidates.
The candidates who are selected will undergo interviews and deliver presentations. Ultimately, two chairs and eight members will be proposed for appointment, with the Cabinet making the final decisions. These newly formed groups will have a four-year period to conduct investigations, uncover the truth, suggest reparations, and propose prosecutions.
For the second time within three months, the committee headed by Mishra is tasked with selecting the officers for both the truth commission and the disappearance inquiry board.
Following extensive talks between key political factions, the federal parliament revised the Enforced Disappearances Inquiry Act in August 2024, over nine years since the Supreme Court rejected several amnesty clauses within it. Two months thereafter, on October 18, the administration established a five-person committee led by Mishra to propose candidates for the positions of two chairs and eight members across both commissions.
Previously, the committee led by Mishra was unable to complete its task by the set deadline due to significant disagreements among its members regarding the names involved. Its term came to an end in mid-December of last year.
Since July 2022, both committees have been dormant as the administration opted to prolong their mandates but chose not to retain their original leaders and participants.
Established in February 2015 with the aim of probing wartime offenses, the truth panel has gathered 63,718 claims. Likewise, the commission dealing with disappearances has approximately 2,500 cases to examine in order to locate individuals who were forcefully vanished by both Maoist groups and government armed units.