Nepali Times

Justice

Suman Adhikari in Himal Khabarpatrika, 17 September-1 October. The author's father, teacher Muktinath Adhikary, was tied to a tree and killed in cold blood by Maoists in early 2002.

From the Nepali Press
From The Nepali Press | From Issue #316 (September 22-28, 2006)

Over 12,000 people have died in the name of the Maoist conflict. Nepalis have been killed because they have refused to pay, feed, or house Maoists, or the rebels have taken innocent lives for personal vendettas. The state also killed many innocents because they were 'rebel spies', or just unlucky enough to be caught in the crossfire. Poor, hardworking Nepalis just trying to get by have been systematically and brutally killed.

The ceasefire is our chance to make something positive. Now is not the time to be bitter, but to join hands and to work together. But sadly, even in such a positive environment the Maoists are determined to hide their excesses and blame the last ten years on the government. Their victims are suffering from psychological, financial and social problems, yet no one on the talks team is discussing how to deal with the psychological trauma of the war.

We can't get out of this war if we don't address humanitarian issues. Only the victims have the right to forgive those who committed those atrocities. A political solution is not the only way out of this conflict. Justice is the only hope victims of the conflict have in the face of their psychological and financial wounds.

Reconstruction and reconciliation require finances and physical structure, but the families of the victims of the conflict first and foremost need their integrity protected. Physical and financial compensation mean little without justice.

If we want our society to change, we need to start talking about healing and reconciliation. After all, those who committed the atrocities and those who suffered from them lived as brothers in the past. When I think about how my father Muktinath Adhikari (pictured) was murdered, I want to get back at those Maoists who killed him. It is not abnormal to hate those who harmed your family.

But who will listen to us? A voice on tv tells us, "Violence and sacrifice is normal during the time of conflict, forget what happened in the past." It is inhumane to broadcast such messages because everyone is blatantly ignoring the fact that for our society's reunification those who committed these heinous crimes need to realise their mistakes.

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