DALITS AT
HIGH RISK OF TORTURE IN
CHRGJ urges investigation by the U.N. Committee Against Torture
(
Since declaring its
"war on terror" the Nepalese government has used draconian laws
including the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Ordinance and the Public
Security Act to preventively detain and torture individuals, including Dalits.
"Cases of
torture, extrajudicial killings, and forced 'disappearances' have soared in
On November 9 and
10 the U.N. Committee Against Torture will review
Over 20 percent of
Dalits have been targeted by
both Maoists and government security forces. The overwhelming majority of
senior officers in the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) continue to hail from
"upper-caste" communities. Dalit
communities are collectively and summarily punished by State agents, even when
there is no evidence of their involvement in the Maoist insurgency.
Caste-based
profiling is routine at security check posts and during village interrogation
round-ups. The burgeoning presence of the police and army has led to even
greater sexual abuse of Dalit women. The State
has also armed upper-caste village militias who abuse their power to target Dalits and religious minorities.
Maoists too have
been responsible for drawing Dalits into the
conflict. The Maoists have capitalized on pervasive caste discrimination to
recruit Dalit men, women and children into their
insurgency. Maoists regularly force their way into Dalit
homes seeking shelter, and levy burdensome "people's taxes" on Dalit families.
Increasingly both
U.N. and NGO actors are raising concerns about the victimization of Dalits in the conflict in
"Since the
royal takeover in February 2005 the monarchy has silenced the media, NGOs, and
political parties in
The Center called
on the Committee to raise the following questions with
--What
accountability mechanisms are in place to ensure that police forces and members
of the RNA are not using caste as a basis for profiling, detention, and abuse
--What steps has
--How does
--What steps will
In August 2005 the
Center released a report titled The Missing Piece of the Puzzle: Caste
Discrimination and the Conflict in
The CHRGJ statement
to the U.N. Committee Against Torture, along with the
CHRGJ report can be accessed at: www.nyuhr.org/nepalreport.htm
About CHRGJ
The Center for
Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law
(www.chrgj.org) aims to advance human rights and respect for the rule of law
through cutting-edge advocacy and scholarship. The CHRGJ promotes human
rights education and training, and encourages interdisciplinary research on
emerging issues in international human rights and humanitarian law.
Philip Alston is the Center's Faculty Director; Smita
Narula is Executive Director; Meg Satterthwaite
is Research Director; and Jayne Huckerby is Associate
Research Scholar.
Please go to www.nyuhr.org/nepalreport.htm for the pdf version
of the press release.
For more
information please contact the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at
New York University School of Law:
Smita Narula
+
Jayne Huckerby +