Maoists committed serious HR violations: OHCHR Kantipur Report KATHMANDU, Sept 26 - The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal, Monday, expressed serious concern regarding serious human rights violations committed by Maoists after they announced ceasefire in April. A report released by OHCHR Monday said there has been no let up in atrocities committed by Maoists - like killings, abductions, ill-treatment, extortion, recruitment of children in Maoist ranks, and violation of rights of internally displaced people (IDPs). According to the report, the rebels were responsible for the death of at least 16 civilians since the ceasefire declaration of April 26. "Despite the September 2 directive by the CPN-Maoist leadership to end human rights abuses, and repeated calls by our Office that the leadership hold its cadres accountable, serious abuses continue throughout the country," an OHCHR press release has quoted David Johnson, Officer-in-Charge of OHCHR-Nepal, as saying. The UN rights body has also urged Maoists to demonstrate that they are serious about their commitment to end these abuses and ensure that those cadres responsible are brought to account. "Children continue to be recruited and used in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and militias," said the statement. "OHCHR-Nepal notes the release, on 22 September, of 12 out of 20 children recruited by PLA in Dolakha. However, there are still numerous children in the PLA and militia, including new recruits." OHCHR had said on June 27 that the rebels were responsible for at least nine deaths. However, one of them appeared to be a "genuine suicide", according to Kieran Dwyer, Spokesperson of OHCHR-Nepal. After OHCHR raised the issue of a series of killings in the Central Region in June, the report said, the pattern of killings ceased. "However, despite this, and general commitments expressed by the CPN-M leadership in the past, serious abuses have continued, and the question of accountability has yet to be addressed in most cases." Since the ceasefire declaration, the report said, the rebels also abducted at least 184 individuals. Recruitment of children The report has seriously raised the issue of recruitment of children in the Maoist army. "Since the ceasefire, concerns have been raised that some 50 children - including some as young as 12 years old - were taken away from their families to take part in PLA and militia activities," said the report. "OHCHR has received credible reports that some of them have received military training with weapons." ‘Police handed over suspects to Maoists’ Though the OHCHR said it is encouraged by the rebels handing over suspects to the police - this varies from district to district. In some cases, the police have handed over suspects to Maoists for prosecution. "However, such handovers are far from systematic, and in a few cases, police have handed suspects over to the CPN-M," the report said without singling out any specific case of police-to-Maoist handover. Posted on: 2006-09-25 21:36:48 (Server Time)