We would like you to show your serious concern towards the defamation of human rights defender Mohna Ansari, who is also a member and commissioner at National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a constitutional body established under the Paris Principle relating to the Status of National Institutions. We also urge you to speak up in solidarity with her for the protection of the human rights defender from marginalized community and the independence of NHRC in Nepal.

It is high time civil society, media and international communities, including human rights community, must speak against such a practice to prevent defamation against her and in solidarity with her and NHRC’s contribution to human rights fulfillment in Nepal. This also questions on the credibility of the constitutional body, which has of late fearlessly contributed to ensuring state accountability for human rights in Nepal.

Here is the factsheet below:

On 11 November 2017, Kosh Raj Neupane, an ex-employee of NHRC, wrote this article in an online portal in an attempt to personally attack NHRC Commissioner Mohna Ansari.

Read the English Translation of the article

In August, Mr. Neupane resigned his job at the NHRC after he came to learn that he would have to face punishment by the institution over a corruption charge. He was under investigation over financial irregularities while he was serving in the capacity of Regional Coordinator for the institution-based in Biratnagar, according to NHRC Office in Kathmandu.

Besides, author Neupane has a strong family linkage in Communist Party of Nepal -Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)’s senior eldership and also close with Subodh Raj Pyakurel of INSEC, a human rights organization in Nepal. Mr. Pyakurel shared the article on his facebook with a post containing threats on Ansari.

Here is the English translation:

Everything from designation to responsibility become meaningless when donor becomes dearer than the country and one’s caste/ethnicity becomes dearer than the people of the country.  The people who are expected to seek justice for all are merely concerned about their own self-interests and such people are everywhere. But the truth will come out sooner or later and they will face consequence too. There is a limit of people’s patience.

12 November 2012

Koshraj and his supporters started the campaign against Mohna Ansari namely “Protect National Human Rights Commission” by distributing pamphlets to 150 human rights defenders gathered from around 70 districts in Kathmandu to attend the second national human rights defenders conference at Staff College, Lalitpur.

Here are the snaps of the pamphlets distributed on the first day of the conference on 12 November 2012.

This is not the first time that Ms. Ansari has experienced defamation and threats for being vocal towards the human rights and social justice in Nepal. Below are the past intimidations: 

August 2016