A Continuous Struggle for Transitional Justice through Truth and Reconciliation: A case study of enforcedly disappeared in Nepal

During the decade long conflict in Nepal (1996-2006), 1360 peoples were enforcedly disappeared by both parties to the conflict (International Committee of the Red Cross, 2013). But even after seven years of the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord, Truth and Reconciliation Commission has not been formed due to the disagreement among the political parties and the victims’ families associations on issues like amnesty and forced reconciliation. Nepal in its current political context is in need of reconciliation, healing and truth telling for the nation to move forward without marginalizing the conflict victims and their families. In this research paper I will explore the struggles / complexities and possibilities in achieving reconciliation in post conflict Nepal. I will examine the state responses for reconciliation and how do the victims’ families associations perceive it. In this paper I will also study the broader demands of the victims’ families individually and victims’ families associations. For the purpose of the study reconciliation is analyzed through the micro level and macro level model given by Susan Dwyer. In Nepal the formation of the truth and reconciliation commission is in an impasse due to focus on prosecution versus amnesty debate. The findings suggest that the priority demands of victims’ families are not in coherence with the victims’ families associations. The victims’ families’ priority demand is knowing the truth and delivery of socioeconomic demands as justice where as the victims’ families associations priority demand is knowing the truth and prosecution as justice .I argue that the prosecution of the perpetrators will not guarantee the long term healing and reconciliation of the victims’ families if their socio-economic needs are not met. My conclusion in this paper is in the current context of Nepal, the state needs to reassess the focus on the social and economic justice to the victims and their family members which will pave a way for reconciliation.