UN concerned at Nepal minister accused of human rights violations

May 5, 2011, 15:22 GMT

Kathmandu- The United Nations on Thursday expressed concern at the appointment of a Maoist accused of involvement in human rights violations to the new Nepalese cabinet.

Agni Sapkota, who was named by police as a suspect in the abduction and killing of 48-year-old Arju Bahadur Lama in 2005, was on Wednesday appointed minister of information and communication during a cabinet reshuffle.

'Lack of accountability in cases of alleged human rights violations not only sends a message that there are no consequences for the perpetrators of such violations, but further adds to the suffering of the victims and their families who have been awaiting justice for many years,' said Jyoti Sanghera, the head of the UN human rights office in Nepal.

The state had a responsibility to ensure that the name of a person was fully cleared following a thorough investigation before any appointment to a high public office was announced, the UN said.

A case was filed against Sapkota in March 2008, though no action has yet been taken. He was accused of involvement in the killing of Lama, allegedly abducted from his village by Maoists in 2005 shortly after his election as president of a local secondary school and later killed.

Sapkota denies any involvement in the killing.

More than 16,000 people died in the Maoist insurgency in Nepal, which lasted for a decade and ended with the signing of a peace deal with the government in 2006.

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