Thursday 24 October 2013


NED official and Reagan-Fascell fellows at NED office in Washington DC

The ghosts of Bhairabnath

Kunda Dixit 
Published in Nepali Times (for original publication click here)


Every day, commuters, civil servants, and diplomats travel up and down Maharajganj, along the dusty street that is being widened. The President’s office and the Teaching Hospital are across the road.
Just over the wall inside Mohan Shumshere’s former palace is the Bhairabnath Battalion where thousands of suspected Maoists were detained, tortured, or exterminated between 2003-2005. It was a concentration camp in the heart of the city.
Lawyer and journalist Jitman Basnet, now 36, was picked up on 4 February 2004 and released on 18 October 2005, enduring 258 days of torture. He was blindfolded, hands

Immunity and impunity

Jitman Basnet

Published in Nepali Times (for original publication click here)

The end of the conflict in 2006 did not bring about an end to violence and threats of violence. In fact, the culture of impunity is so deeply embedded in Nepali society that those who seek peace and justice are themselves being threatened. This does not bode well for
peaceful elections.

धर्मका आडमा चलेका परम्परामा सुधारको खाँचो


 जितमान बस्नेत 
वासिंङटन डीसी, नेपाली पोस्ट (for original publication click here)

एक दिन साथीसँग पाहाडे हिन्दूहरुको किरीया संस्कारको खराब पक्षको बारेमा कुरा गर्दै गर्दा हाम्रा बात चाख मानेर सुनिरहेकी मेरी आमाको मुख अध्यारो भयो । एउटा भएको छोराले पनि किरीया नगर्ने भो भन्ने आमालाई लागेको हुँदो हो । तरपनि केही प्रतिकृया दिनु भएन । आमाको अगाडि के यस्तो कुरा गर्नु भनेर प्रसंग नटुंगाई कुरा रोकियो । पाप, धर्म, मुक्ति र स्वर्गसँग जोडिएको कुरा भयो यो । किरीया नगरे मृतक स्वर्ग जाँदैनन् भन्ने मानसीकताले समाजलाई गाँजेको छ । त्यसैले कालन्तरदेखि

Wednesday 2 October 2013

A broken promise

Jitman Basnet


Published in the Republica Daily (for original publication click here)
The war between the Maoists and the royal regime officially ended in 2006, but the conflict continues. The bloody ten-year war claimed thousands of lives and destroyed millions in property. Several thousand were displaced, kidnapped, tortured, and illegally detained in secret locations like military barracks, police custodies and Maoist camps during this conflict. More than 1,300 civilian