TRC, CIEDP launch probe into victims’ complaints

Kathmandu, May 23

Transitional justice bodies have started preliminary investigation of complaints received so far from the victims of conflict during the insurgency era.

Thousands of people were directly affected during the decade-long armed insurgency both from the state as well as the Maoist rebels.

“As we are in the middle of collecting complaints, we have also started preliminary investigation of victims’ report that we have received so far,” TRC Chairman Surya Kiran Gurung told The Himalayan Times.

Both the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons (CIEDP) and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) have been collecting accounts of victims.

In the preliminary stage, what we look into is whether the complaints are genuine and whether or not they fall within the TRC’s jurisdiction, according to Chairman Gurung.

“Actually this is the first screening of complaints,” he added.

“We will categorise them and proceed for further and in-depth investigation.”

Meanwhile, CIEDP Spokesperson Professor Bishnu Pathak also said initial screening of complaints regarding disappearance cases had kicked off.

He informed that as many as 200 cases have already been screened and others would be done before starting of full investigation of complaints.

As of today, TRC has received as many as 9,556 complaints, while CIEDP has collected 1,375 complaints from and on behalf of the victims.