<figure><img width="1714" height="1172" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb4199c7e80680e07bb83jpeg.jpg" alt=""/><figcaption></figcaption></figure>The contrast between Nepal’s human rights promises and reality on the ground is glaring, but indications are that the country will be elected to a new term on the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva in October.Rights groups have accused the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) is out to scuttle the transitional justice process, its failure to effectively investigate and prosecute violence against women and Dalits, the introduction of new bills designed to limit freedom of expression, including of the media, and proposals that further threaten the independence of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).  Nepal’s rivals for one of four HRC seats for the Asia-Pacific region for the council’s 2021-23 term are China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan. And Nepal’s human right’s record is the best of that lot.On Wednesday, China and Saudi Arabia were no-shows for an online, civil society <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGf-Hj3iLXw&amp;feature=youtu.be" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DNGf-Hj3iLXw%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHgBwJHJzA49BQxrJQxIXndsWnFnQ">‘pledging event’</a> at the UN in New York to quiz contenders. Amrit Bahadur Rai, Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York, did attend and repeated promises on human rights, including LGBTQI rights.“The Government of Nepal is committed to resolving the issues related to transitional justice based on the victims concerns, the Supreme Court’s directives of 2015, the various instruments to which Nepal is a party, the Comprehensive Peace Accord and the ground realities,” Rai told the online event.“I’d like to assure all that there will be no blanket amnesty in cases of severe human rights violations committed during the conflict period,” he added during the event organised by Amnesty International and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR). <figure><img width="640" height="380" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb41c9c7e80680e07bb84jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption>Amrit Bahadur Rai</figcaption></figure>Rai said Nepal’s citizenship act is being amended to include a third gender, ‘Other’, and that people claiming it will not have to produce medical evidence of a change in gender. He added: “I would emphasise that we need to change our value set, our perception and our mindset, and the Government of Nepal will do more in promoting rights and protecting the rights of the LGBTIQ community.”According to a <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/countryscorecards-07_nepal.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/countryscorecards-07_nepal.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGMT-9WQ3i0t-6XuaN8Gg55WoOLGw">scorecard produced by ISHR</a>, Nepal got 9/18 human rights benchmarks while its closest competitor, Uzbekistan, reached 6/18.Nepal loses points is in its dealings with ‘special procedures’, human rights experts devoted to specific issues, like torture or child rights. According to the scorecard, Nepal has not:- issued a standing invitation to special procedures to visit the country- responded positively to country visit requests (with fewer than five such requests outstanding)- sent a substantive reply to more than 80% of communications received from special proceduresEarlier this year, ISHR New York Director Eleanor Openshaw <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/does-nepal-deserve-2nd-term-at-unhrc/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFdwZ3mW08MoXUUz9VNhShBiBBMoA">told Nepali Times</a> that cooperating with the experts is a sign that a country is serious about improving human rights, both at home and globally. “If you don’t cooperate that is unacceptable,” she said.This week, Openshaw added: “Nepal faces influential challengers. However, it is a current member of the Council seeking a second term. When first elected in 2017,  Nepal received the highest number of votes for regional candidates. I would be surprised if Nepal were not re-elected.”None of the western governments known to take an interest in human rights in Nepal contacted by Nepali Times earlier this year would reveal if they planned to support the government’s candidacy. However, it is rumoured that voting decisions are based on broader geo-political interests of UN member states, and the country groupings that they belong to.Along with the scorecard, ISHR worked with Nepal’s Advocacy Forum, Blue Diamond Society and Collective Campaign for Peace to develop <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/nepal.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/sites/default/files/nepal.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNF15TSS93grX7DQUXGz0HvW6F2Ttw">recommendations for Nepal</a>. They include:- Protecting the constitutional right of freedom of expression, and allow journalists to carry out their work freely and independently.- Ensure human rights violations are investigated, including ensuring police register First Information Reports on cases of violations, victims are provided with remedies and perpetrators are held accountable.- End gender-based violence and caste-based discrimination, and ensure effective implementation of the rights of women, indigenous peoples, Dalits, Muslims, Madheshi and sexual minorities as guaranteed in the Constitution.- End excessive use of force by the police to impose the lockdown, physically assaulting people coming out of their home for an essential purpose such as health workers.- Do not sideline the transitional justice process under the guise of COVID-19 and amend the Enforced Disappearance Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, as required by the 2015 ruling of the Supreme Court and in line with international legal standards.Fifteen of the HRC’s 47 seats are up for election next month, while just 16 candidates are in the mix. Only the Asia-Pacific region will see a competitive election — all other candidates will automatically get a place at the HRC table.<a href="https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/Pledges.pdf" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/HRCouncil/Pledges.pdf&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFf9BEqo8fIj7SgfcnMWVRQZwzxGA">According to the UN General Assembly</a>, when they are electing HRC members UN member states should take into account how candidates have contributed to the promotion and protection of human rights.In June, Nepal released the <a href="https://undocs.org/A/75/97" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://undocs.org/A/75/97&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGa7NO9OhOMWAUqGdmNcFKUtMs_ag">pledges and commitments</a> it promises to fulfil if elected. They include:- Make every possible effort in addressing, through transitional justice mechanisms, the cases related to the violation of human rights during the conflict period- Ensure the independence of the judiciary for the protection of human rights- Foster the growth and development of a free media- Continue to maintain a conducive environment for the operation of human rights defenders and civil society organisations- Strengthen the National Human Rights Commission in the protection and promotion of human rights- Fully enable all the constitutional commissions to fulfill their mandates effectively towards ending discrimination and creating an inclusive, just and prosperous Nepali society.On <a href="https://www.ishr.ch/news/hrc-elections-how-do-candidates-2021-rate-and-what-have-they-pledged-do-council-members" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ishr.ch/news/hrc-elections-how-do-candidates-2021-rate-and-what-have-they-pledged-do-council-members&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1599889157989000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEqTPeV-X6WTnAsb7rkSCGgXNILTw">her organisation’s website</a>, Salma El Hosseiny, ISHR’s Human Rights Council Advocate, advises, 'Voting states should urge all of the candidates states to commit to implementing these concrete measures, and to ensure meaningful and broad consultation with independent civil society in the process.’ <figure><img width="800" height="450" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/2022110915114/636bb41e9c7e80680e07bb85jpeg.jpg" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Pay upCountry representatives at the pledging event were asked to confirm that they would be making their annual payments on time and were encouraged to give voluntary contributions. One of Nepal’s rival for an HRC seat, Pakistan, announced a $50,000 open-ended contribution. Nepal, on the other hand, reminded the UN that it has an outstanding bill.“The United Nations owes Nepal about US$38 million as a reimbursement (for its peacekeeping contribution), and if we do not get that reimbursement on time, we’ll have difficulty to send our peacekeepers on the ground. So we strongly urge all our fellow member states to pay their assessed budget in full and on time,” said Nepal’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Amrit Bahadur Rai.What is the UN Human Rights Council?- 47 States elected by the UN General Assembly- Replaced the UN Human Rights Commission in 2006- Holds multiple sessions in Geneva annually- Members elected for three-year terms from five geographical regions- Includes Universal Periodic Review, which examines the human rights records of all 193 UN member states once every 4.5 years- ‘Responds to human rights emergencies and makes recommendations on how to better implement human rights on the ground. The council has the ability to discuss all thematic human rights issues and country-specific situations that require its attention.’- The decisions of the council are not legally binding.

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Nepal again pledges progress on human rights if elected to UN council

Fenerbahçe Beko won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague finals in Abu Dhabi, held 23-25 May, defeating Monaco 81-70 in the final. Olympiacos, who defeated Panathinaikos 97-93, finished the series in third place. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the final match, Nigel Hayes-Davis from Fenerbahçe Beko, received a prize of 1,000,000 Miles&amp;Smiles from Turkish Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer Ahmet Olmuştur. The carrier has been the title sponsor of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, a top tier tournament, since 2010.

Turkish Basketball

In the black and white photograph, General Wangdu smiles broadly in front of the dusty cactus garden in Kathmandu’s Annapurna Hotel. With an ill-fitting jacket and shaggy hair he looks benign enough, but this was the last leader of the Tibetan freedom fighters who led the resistance against the Chinese from their remote mountain hideouts in <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/comings-and-goings-in-mustang">Mustang</a>. Five months later, Wangdu was dead. Snapped in March 1974, I had only recently arrived in Nepal. How did I meet this legendary fighter? Possibly with his devoted camp follower, Lynne Klapecki, and probably in the Om Restaurant near Freak Street which was the preferred <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/hippie-trail-nostalgia-in-kathmandu">hippie hang-out</a>. Om Lobsang and his brother Yeshe were <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/page/earthquake-brings-back-memories-of-camps-for-tibetan-refugees">refugees from East Tibet </a>whose cafe offered a friendly welcome and<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/momo-loco"> the best momos</a> - they became my in-laws after I married their eldest brother Tenzin, but that was a decade later.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1.jpg" data-media-id="editor_4" data-image-id="2025052403054_4573b34282b0f5395c007243d6bef12c7ba76bfd520419e994cdcea048d795a1" data-rendition-name="original" width="1000" height="1583" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Photo: LISA CHOEGYAL</figcaption> </figure>  Wangdu’s English was enthusiastically rudimentary, but even riding around town with him on the back of an aging <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/kathmandu-s-new-motorbike-museum">motorbike</a>, he was a commanding presence. Always flanked by armed outriders, impressive scars marked his forearms and a pistol hung from the cord around his neck. A charismatic guerrilla leader, Wangdu was celebrated by his followers for his tough commitment and respected for his measured pragmatism. He seemed so young to have shouldered such a responsibility of command, leading hundreds of hardened <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/50-years-after-the%20raid-into-Tibet,1012#google_vignette">Khampa combatants </a>through what had been a particularly <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/heavy-snowfall-over-nepal-himalaya">brutal winter in Mustang</a>, the last bastion to hold out against the Chinese invasion of their Tibetan homeland.&nbsp; The freedom fighters of Tibet, known as the Chushi-Gangdruk, had emerged to resist the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/editorial/territorialism">Chinese takeover</a> of Tibet during the 1950s. Estimated to be 80,000-strong at the time of <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/what-or-who-after-the-dalai-lama">the Dalai Lama</a>’s final escape to India in 1959, the sheer number of Chinese deployed into Tibet eventually forced the Chushi-Gangdruk to retreat to Mustang, From this high Himalayan stronghold, they continued cross-border raids on the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) throughout the 1960s.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd.jpg" data-media-id="editor_10" data-image-id="2025052403054_8a4a935ba25ae79dc3a63bb5c14626927020e5ec098093c45ccb9a5982e009fd" data-rendition-name="original" width="1114" height="676" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Guerrillas known as the Chushi-Gangdruk emerged to resist the Chinese annexation of Tibet during the 1950s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>  Their Kathmandu base was a small discreet lodge in a back lane near Rani Pokhari. Sipping sweet tea from a blue mug with a chipped lid, I sat bemused in a corner of the Mustang Hotel room whilst Wangdu and his cohorts received a battered brown suitcase from their CIA connection, a tousle-haired American in a leather jacket. Heaved onto the dingy bedspread that covered the thin mattress, it was clicked open to reveal piles of neatly stacked dollar bills.&nbsp; I cannot think why Wangdu allowed me to witness this handover but I was clearly no threat, a newly arrived world traveller with no understanding of the stakes nor any Nepali or <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/tibetan-music-in-nepals-sacred-valley">Tibetan language</a>. Despite armed guards in the corridor,Wangdu radiated confidence and bravado, and there was a practiced familiarity to the tense transaction. This deadly dance for many years had been funded by the Americans, tolerated by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/the-kingdom-within-a-republic">Mustang’s residents</a>, and permitted by King Mahendra and the Nepali authorities who it suited to turn a blind eye.&nbsp; But Mahendra died in 1972, and times were changing. Richard Nixon’s ping-pong diplomacy thawed the cold war and signalled a fresh entente with China. Nepal’s yet-to-be-crowned <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/if-birendra-was-alive-nepal-could-still-be-a-monarchy">King Birendra </a>was under pressure to curb the irritating incursions against the PLA launched from the Nepali territory of Mustang. Keen to appease his northern neighbour, on several occasions the King summoned Wangdu for peace talks but, despite increasingly overwhelming odds, Wangdu refused to surrender.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb.jpg" data-media-id="editor_14" data-image-id="2025052403054_a8efd5cfb92cd997bd7cb74296a936fef46e2f7428f9cd642b03f1ac4ea11ecb" data-rendition-name="original" width="1055" height="885" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>General Wangdu flanked by two Tibetan resistance fighters in Mustang in the 1970s. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31.jpg" data-media-id="editor_15" data-image-id="2025052403054_75969125a745847a2ef82b6fe8b9106c0b21a116d85b8efdf5d2ee89a347bb31" data-rendition-name="original" width="1044" height="792" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>King Birendra with General Wangdu (right in dark glasses) taken in 1974 possibly in Mustang after one of their few attempts at negotiation. Photo courtesy: RAJRNDRA KUNWAR</figcaption> </figure>  While I naively rode pillion around Kathmandu in the spring sunshine, Wangdu was in the midst of what turned out to be his final round of negotiations with the Nepal government. Refusing to cease hostilities with the Chinese, Wangdu must have suspected the cost of his decision, making his cheerful smile in the photograph all the more poignant and brave. It was only much later that I appreciated the significance of the moment. Wangdu had been sent to replace the first resistance leader in Mustang, Baba Gen Yeshe, a much derided corrupt character who stole money meant for his troops and exploited fleeing refugees by seizing their treasures. Baba Gen Yeshe never forgave Wangdu,and sought revenge in May 1974 by betraying him and his commanders to the Nepal authorities. Renewed Chinese incursions from the north, active PLA collusion with the Nepali forces under the new King, and treachery from within the Chushi-Gangdrukranks combined to seal their fate.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0.jpg" data-media-id="editor_16" data-image-id="2025052403054_e0987a7c90d76431b0d7d5e6115ebfe3dbda7ab939e5941e079c18d722e884c0" data-rendition-name="original" width="1400" height="769" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>British television journalists George Patterson and Adrian Cowell embedded themselves with Khampa guerrillas and accompanied them from Tsum Valley on a cross border raid on a Chinese Army convoy in 1964. Photo: ESSAYS ON NEPAL / SAM COWAN</figcaption> </figure>  Mikel Dunham, renowned author of Buddha’s Warriors, writes: ‘It is possible that Wangdu was waiting for some cue from the Dalai Lama’s government-in-exile in Dharamsala, India. It is equally possible – during that last, <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/the-human-cost-of-nepal-s-yarsa-gold-rush?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR31-Cqw8oyIwMPzf_35e4Skr0ululJvLf3_vDkzHn-AYG2h8uPw2rqqErg_aem_tGVn5coY1-jA7fze_xqhew">desolate winter </a>– that he made the decision to go out in glory rather than admit defeat. Over the last fifteen years, Wangdu had experienced Tibet’s organized resistance being squeezed and shoved around by every conceivable outside force.&nbsp; First they had been pushed out of their own country by the PLA; then they had been refused sanction while on <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/borderlines/nepal-india-trans-boundary-bonds?fbclid=IwAR0PpJ5zUEbwdug3g_U3ar6FUugngRY0S8Tl2v_7wqzrsHmXWcXsKjvL4t4">Indian soil</a>; then they were abandoned by the Americans because, apparently, Nixon wanted to make friends with Wangdu’s mortal enemies, the communists; then they had been betrayed by the vampiric Baba Gen Yeshe – a Tibetan and, even worse, a fellow Khampa; and now, finally Wangdu’s army was being evicted by the Nepalis. One thing was certain: Wangdu was a warrior. To imagine Wangdu simply giving up and settling down in the pacific squalor of a <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/elderly-left-in-bhutan-refugee-camp">refugee camp </a>was unthinkable.’  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49.jpg" data-media-id="editor_20" data-image-id="2025052403054_8fc1ffef4ae751628b90ae781b66e11e51e4fdde2787207c9042efbee345ce49" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="746" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>The much derided Baba Gen Yeshe, the first Tibetan resistance leader in Mustang, who betrayed Wangdu for personal gain. Photo courtesy: MIKEL DUNHAM</figcaption> </figure>   <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3.jpg" data-media-id="editor_21" data-image-id="2025052403054_b1d833cdb00d3ac4416b844d8730475cd88c238caaaf8da69889a584eea229a3" data-rendition-name="original" width="500" height="656" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> <figcaption>Aditya SJB Rana of the Royal Nepal Army whose team ambushed Wangdu and his cohorts at the top of Tinker Pass in Darchula, West Nepal. Photo courtesy: GAUTAM SJB RANA</figcaption> </figure>  By August 1974 the game was up. Wangdu and six of his exhausted party were killed on their horses by <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/news.php?id=7270">the Royal Nepal Army</a> on the brink of escape. The officer in charge, Aditya SJB Rana, cleverly predicted their route into India after they failed to silence a police radio in Yari. A carefully laid ambush trapped them near the summit of the Tinker Pass in Darchula,at 5,000 meters the highest military operation of its time. Wangdu’s body was helicoptered to Kathmandu, and a big show made of the royal Nepal victory.&nbsp; The Tibetan armed insurgency against China had reached its end.  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4.jpg" data-media-id="editor_23" data-image-id="20250524030520_3ff9c6fc85a65bc9a2c3afe9736d9f5f9413de752e790a5d9dca0981ea94f9b4" data-rendition-name="original" width="1136" height="702" loading="lazy" alt="The last days of the Khampa NT"> </figure>

The Last Days of the Khampa

Starting 17 September Turkish Airlines will fly daily to Seville, one of Spain’s major tourist draws. This is Turkish’s sixth destination in Spain after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Malaga, and Bilbao. Seville is in the Andalusia region on Spain’s south coast with a rich Moor history. There are approximately 30,000 Nepalis living in Spain.&nbsp;

Turkish to Seville

The newly-formed Himalayan Art Council is set to launch Nepal’s National Art Protection Platform that seeks to preserve <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/the-history-of-heritage">Nepal’s unique cultural heritage </a>using<a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/artificial-censorship"> AI-powered tools</a>. The Council seeks to safeguard <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepali-art-going-places">Nepali art works</a> from neglect, theft and counterfeiting as well as preserve existing artwork and celebrate living masters by giving them a cultural space to continue the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/sacred-survival">sacred art traditions</a>. "We are introducing a new digital platform designed to preserve, verify and elevate <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/banner/nepals-new-generation-of-alternative-artists">Nepal’s art for generations to come,</a>” says a statement from the Council, adding that the digital platform will use AI told for authentication and blockchain to keep track of works of art. Artists can now be protected by <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/ayo-ai?fbclid=IwAR1uwmTVq4gUB70ljfRezjzukD9ArWXPuMnUikopeQ8PoiZMjicToPSwhKE&amp;=1">AI tools</a> that detect forgeries, identify their work even when unsigned, and ensure they receive proper recognition and credit. The archives will be searchable with translated inscription and interactive guides. Says curator Meena Lama: “AI and blockchains are tools that give us the power to detect fakes and identify unsigned paintings and track every piece. With these tools we can restore trust, secure authorship and give artists the dignity they deserve.”  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53.jpg" data-media-id="editor_6" data-image-id="20250514170544_2ab58f6313c0458f75114a692b0016bd9efb3b59d5f8f07f0da72e1e37b82f53" data-rendition-name="original" width="1300" height="1000" loading="lazy" alt="Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum."> <figcaption>Artwork at the Traditional Art Exhibition at Patan Museum.</figcaption> </figure>  The Council is also holding an exhibition of Nepali cultural masterpieces with 50 historical <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Buzz-the-art,671">thangka and paubha </a>by past masters and <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/between-the-sacred-and-everyday">contemporary works by current artists</a>. This curated collection is a living tribute to <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/here-now/when-yaks-go-so-does-culture">Himalayan culture</a> with economic depictions of deities, mandala and sacred narratives. The exhibition at <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/multimedia/a-portal-into-patan-s-past-and-present">Patan Museum</a> also provides an opportunity to meet painters and custodians of art and culture. Read also: <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/review/golden-deities">Golden deities</a>, Sewa Bhattarai ‘The exhibition is only the first step in a long journey to ensure that Nepali art is no just seen but fully understood, <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/nation/Narratives-of-Faith-and-Memory-Remembering-the-Lost-Sculptures-of-Kathmandu-exhibition,987">protected and remembered</a>,’ the Council says. Artist Kailash K Shrestha of Artudio has spent decades promoting thankha and paubha traditions because of their beauty and devotional meaning. But he also says artists are underpaid, exploited and ignored. He adds, “AI and blockchain are not just buzzwords, they are powerful tools that can protect Nepal’s artists from fraud, verify authenticity and build a permanent record of provenance.” Traditional Art Exhibition Till 17 May Patan Museum

human-rights-comission

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