Recommendations from International Best Practices summarizes the current state of witness protection and assistance in Nepal.
This ICJ briefing paper highlights relevant principles of international law, and offers some preliminary recommendations to policy makers and advocates in Nepal currently seeking to establish witness protection and assistance mechanisms.
The report is meant to contribute to the debate on how best to establish witness protection and witness assistance mechanisms as part ofefforts to address human rights violations and abuses in Nepal, in particular those that occurred during the ten-year conflict (1996-2006).
Annex I provides an overview of relevant international standards, focusing on treaty law and international principles related to the protection of witnesses and victims.
Annex II summarises international best practices and lessons learned.
Annex III contains an annotated reference list of key resources.
Though the report’s recommendations are directed at establishing independent and effective witness and victim protection and assistance mechanisms associated with proposed transitional justice institutions, the principles, recommendations and annexes will be relevant to the establishment of witness protection mechanisms addressing the full range of criminal and non-criminal protection needs in Nepal, throughout South Asia and beyond.
Nepal-witness protection-analysis brief-2011 (full text in English, PDF)