HURFON (current)

Human Rights Forum Nepal (HURFON) is a website presenting links to articles on Nepal's human rights issues as well as important background information. The link collection has been started in September 2016.

HURFON is a subsite of Nepal Research. Its name goes back to an organisation that had been founded in Germany in 1990 but that had to be dissolved some years later. Issues of the periodical of this earlier organisation that had been published under the name Nepal Forum have been archived on this website.

Unfulfilled promise of inclusion : The demoralising number of women on the candidacy list for the March elections cannot be overlooked, by Shreeti KC (kp 03/02/2026)

Dalits in election manifestos : Parties would do well to implement the various constitutional provisions made to uplift Dalits, by Mitra Pariyar (kp 03/02/2026)

Rights defenders urge parties to prioritise transitional justice in poll agendas : They said past governments have treated transitional justice as a political tool (kp 03/02/2026)

Two youths in Chitwan receive citizenship in mother’s name (kh 02/02/2026) [What is being celebrated as a first-time event should really be completely normal. In a democracy that claims there is no legal difference between women and men, all children of Nepalese mothers should automatically be entitled to unrestricted Nepalese citizenship, regardless of their father's nationality. The same applies to children of Nepalese fathers, doesn't it?], Citizenship issued in mother’s name for first time in Sarlahi (kh 03/02/2026)

Women election candidates in Nepal face abuse and vitriol : The few women politicians who were given tickets to contest direct election are dealing with scrutiny over their bodies and identities, by Aarya Chand (kp 01/02/2026), Women leaders demand end to systemic exclusion from Nepali politics : More than 300 participants at a public dialogue highlight barriers to women’s political participation and sign petitions demanding equal representation in decision-making roles (kp 01/02/2026), Politics of discouragement : There is a need for nuanced debates on how best to contain the spread of misogyny online (kp 02/02/2026)

Governments keep ignoring Nepal human rights body’s recommendations : National Human Rights Commission says even the current civilian government has shown no progress on implementing them, by Binod Ghimire (kp 28/01/2026), Rights body wronged : When the state fails to prosecute human rights violators, impunity becomes the unofficial law of the land (kp 29/01/2026)

Families of two slain girls still awaiting justice a year on : They were brutally murdered by two boys after one girl refused sexual advances, by Menuka Dhungana (kp 27/01/2026)

Activist Yuvraj Safal arrested for criticizing Rabi Lamichhane case withdrawal (rep) [This sounds like Donald Trump. If anything, wouldn't a simple charge without arrest have been enough, especially since the Supreme Court is currently reviewing the decision?]

Over 100 countries review Nepal’s five-year human rights track record : Nations acknowledge progress in protecting and promoting human rights since 2021, by Binod Ghimire (kp 25/01/2026) [??]

Policing the Police : Police killings, abuse of power, and the lack of accountability threaten the stability of Nepal’s democracy, by Prashanta Khanal (nt 23/01/2026)

“Nepal committed to protecting human rights” (kh 22/01/2026) [And what about women, Dalits, ethnic groups, victims of conflict, etc.?]

When rights watchdogs falter : NHRC is a reflection of problems of Nepali society, including misogyny and exclusion of minorities, by Mohna Ansari (kp 18/01/2026)

Nepal's Universal Periodic Review: Reforms needed to safeguard media freedom, by Laxman Datt Pant (ht 12/01/2026)

Disability in politics : Parties must recognise that disability representation is a constitutional guarantee, by Sadikshya Dulal (kp 11/01/2026)

Glimmer of hope for 2007 Gaur massacre survivors : Last month, Supreme Court issued the full text of its 2023 verdict in a case filed by victims and relatives of the massacre and directed police to start investigation, by Shiva Puri (kp 09/01/2026)

Collective Fight Ends Gender Inequality, by Byanjana Sharma (rn 09/01/2026)

Citizenship through mother’s name comes into force after regulation amendment (kh 08/01/2026) [Extremely patriarchal thinking persists: it should not matter whether the mother or father has Nepalese citizenship. In both cases, children must have a fundamental right to full Nepalese citizenship, with all the rights and obligations that entails!]

Justice Deferred, Victims Forgotten, by Charan Prasai (rep 06/01/2026) [And not to forget: responsible politicians, Maoists and army leadership satisfied!], Ministry working to endorse TRC rules despite reservations from some conflict victims : Officials at the transitional justice commissions say they have completed most of their preparations to start detailed investigations, by Binod Ghimire (kp 07/01/2026)

Falling female births widening gender gap : Gaps high in Sudurpaschim, Madhesh as preference for sons drives sex-selective abortions (kp 05/01/2026) [The targeted abortion of female foetuses is a crime based on patriarchal thinking and should be punished most severely!], Vanishing girls : Unchecked sex-selective abortions are taking the country down a dangerous road (kp 06/01/2026), Small private clinics driving female foeticide in Nepal : Around 300 radiologists and 200 gynaecologists in urban clinics enable sex-selective abortions, experts say, by Arjun Poudel (kp 07/01/2026)

Mutating Facade Of Human Trafficking, by Ram Sharan Sedhai (rep 04/01/2026)

Incidents of press freedom violation on rise in 2025: FNJ (rep 01/01/2026)

HURON appeals to protect judiciary’s dignity amid social media attacks (rep 01/01/2026)

Nepal: Unlawful Use of Force During ‘Gen Z’ Protest : Credibly Investigate Role of Security Forces, Others in Two Days of Deadly Violence, by  Human Rights Watch, 19 November 2025)

Nepal 2024 Human Rights Report, by US Department of State, 12 August 2025

From Intimidation to Impunity: Rising Threats against Media in Nepal. Report by Media Action Nepal, 1 May 2025

Nepal 2024. From the Amnesty International Report 2024/25. 29 April 2025

Challenges Persist on Nepal's Press Freedom : 'Year of inaction' on law and policy for free press, report by Freedom Forum, Kathmandu, 3 May 2024

Nepal 2023 Human Rights Report, by US Department of State, 25 March 2024

“No-one cares”: Descent-based discrimination against Dalits in Nepal, report by Amnesty International 2024

Nepal events of 2024. World Report 2024, pp. 449-454, by Human Rights Watch

Nepal Events of 2023, HRW world-report 2024, 12/01/2024

Note of Appreciation and Concern to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Kathmandu, 31 October 2023

Saudi Arabia: Migrants workers who toiled in Amazon warehouses were deceived and exploited, by Amnesty International, 10 October 2023

2022 Report on International Religious Freedom: Nepal, by US Department of State, 15 May 2023

Amnesty International Report 2022/23, Nepal, March 2023)

2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nepal, by US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 2023

South Asia State of Minorities Report 2022 : Weakening Human Rights Commitments
and Its Impact on Minorities. The South Asia Collective, February 2023

Nepal’s Social Protection System Reinforces Inequality: Expand the Child Grant; Include Informal Workers, by HRW, 1 February 2023

Media, Elections and Human Rights : A Study on Media Coverage of Elections from Human Rights Perspectives, by Media Action Nepal, 2023

Nepal: Events of 2022, HRW World Report 2023

GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF NATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS (GANHRI). Report and Recommendations of the Session of the Sub-Committee on Accreditation (SCA)
Geneva, 03 - 07 October 2022

State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in South Asia and the Hindu Kush Himalaya, by ICIMOD et al., 29 September 2022

What German Football Can Do to Remedy Abuses in Qatar : Football Association Pledges to Press FIFA to Compensate Migrant Workers, by David Fischer, HRW (12 August 2022)

Nepal: Amend Transitional Justice Bill : New Draft Falls Short of Promised Reforms to Protect Victims’ Rights. Statement by AI, HRW, ICG and TRIAL, 22 July 2022

Custodial deaths in Nepal : Towards a Framework for
Investigation and Prevention, by Advocacy Forum-Nepal. Kathmandu, 26 June 2022

From Exclusion to Inclusion : Crafting a New Legal Regime in Nepal, by Bipin Adhikari et al. Kathmandu: Social Science Baha 2022

2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nepal. US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 12 April 2022

The State of the World's Human Rights. Amnesty International’s Annual Report 2021/22, Nepal chapter, March 2022

World Bank. Women, business and the law 2022. Nepal data.

World Report 2022 - Nepal chapter, by Human Rights Watch

Gender Sensitivity in Nepali Media, report by Media Action Nepal, 2022

World Justice Project: Rule of Law Index, Nepal 2021

2020 Civil Society Organization Sustainability Indey for Asia, by USAID, November 2021 (Nepal, pp. 38ff)

Media in Nepal : Safety of Journalists, Sustainability and Gender Inclusiveness, report by Media Action Nepal, 2021

Misleading News in Media : A study of newspapers and online news portals of Nepal, report by Media Action Nepal, 2021

Code of Conduct : Improving conflict sensitive reporting & journalist safety in South Asia, report by Media Action Nepal, 2021

Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in Nepal : From enhanced regional connectivity. World Bank Group, December 2021

COVID-19 pandemic worsens disparities in young children’s development and learning in Nepal : One out of five children developmentally off track, press release bi UNICEF, 19 December 2021 [see also Child and Family Tracker, ECDI Survey, UNICEF, August 2021]

Impacts of protecting life in global health assistance policy in Nepal. Report by CREJHPA, September 2021

Unprepared and Unlawful: Nepal’s Continued Failure to realize the right to health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Briefing paper by International Commission of Jurists, 13 September 2021

Nepal Multidimensional Poverty Index 2021, by NPC et al., 18 August 2021

Violations in the name of conservation : "What crime had I committed by putting my feet on the Land that I own?" Amnesty International, 9 August 2021

Challenges for Dalits in South Asia’s Legal Community. Chapter I: Dalit Justice Defenders in Nepal, by American Bar Association - Center for Human Rights (18/06/2021)

Nepal: "Struggling to breathe".  The second wave of Covid-19 in Nepal, by Amnesty International (14/06/2021)

HRW report “I Must Work to Eat” - Covid-19, Poverty, and Child labor in Ghana, Nepal, and Uganda, by Human Rights Watch (26/05/2021)

South Asia: Urgent action needed to combat deadly COVID-19 surge across region (Amnesty International 13/05/2021)

Youth Anxiety, Aspiration, and Activism: Survey Report, by Niti Foundation and ILO, April 2021

Nepal Child Labour Report 2021, by International Labour Organisation and Central Bureau of Statistics, Nepal

Nepal 2020. Excerpt from Amnesty International Report 2020/21 (07/04/021)

2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Nepal. US Department of State, 30 March 2021

Nepal: Human Rights Commission’s Integrity in Jeopardy : Lack of Transparency in Appointments Undermine Effectiveness, Public Confidence, common statement by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and International Commission of Jurists, 1 March 2021

World Report 2021 : Nepal - Events of 2020, by Human Rights Watch, January 2021

Report on Employment Relationship Survey in Nepal. UNICEF, January 2021

Nepal Human Development Report 2020, UNDP and NPC, 13/12/2020

The Government of Nepal has been using the Covid-19 Pandemic to Exercise Control, to Commit Human Rights Violations and to Deny Justice to Victims of Human Rights Abuses, by AHRC, 09/12/2020

No Law, No Justice, No State for Victims : The Culture of Impunity in Post-Conflict Nepal. Report by Human Rights Watch. 20/11/2020

Nepal : Justice stalled for conflict victims. Amnesty International submission for the UN universal periodic review, 37th session of the UPR working group, January 2021 (Amnesty International 23/10/2020)

आयोगको २० वर्ष आयोगका सिफारिशहरु र कार्यान्वयन अवस्था (२०५७ जेठ–२०७७ असार), National Human Rights Commission, 15/10/2020

Child & Family Tracker: Tracking the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Children and Families in Nepal. Baseline Findings, by UNICEF Nepal and Sharecast, August 2020 (Powerpoint presentation)

Costing Study on Early Childhood Education and
Development (ECED) in Nepal: A Case for Investment in ECED, by UNICEF Nepal and The World Bank, 2020

Human Rights and the Rule of Law in a Federal Nepal: Recommendations from an ICJ High-Level Mission, by ICJ: Geneva, July 2020

Nepal’s Universal Periodic Review: Human Rights Review Should Address Broken Commitments, Impunity, by Human Rights Watch, 16/07/2020), see submission report by HRW (15/07/2020)

Lawyers at risk: Law Society submits joint UPR report on Nepal, by The Law Society of England and Wales, 13 July 2020 (see also factsheet and submission)

2019 Trafficking in Persons Report: Nepal, by US Department of State

2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, by US Department of State, 11 March 2020

Rule of Law Index Nepal 2020, by World Justice Project, 11 March 2020

Nepal 2019. In: Human Rights in Asia-Pacific. Review of 2019. Amnesty International, 29 January 2020

Nepal: Recent Steps Undermine Transitional Justice, by ICJ, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International, 25 January 2020

Nepal: Events of 2019, by Human Rights Watch, January 2020, pp. 418-422

Lawyers’ Association for Human Rights of Nepalese Indigenous Peoples (LAHURNIP)

Human Development Report 2019: Inequalities in Human Development in the 21stCentury. Briefing note for countries on the 2019 Human Development Report: Nepal. New York: UNDP 2019

Nepal: 13 Years On, No Justice for Conflict Victims. Joint statement by ICJ, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and TRIAL International, 25 November 2019

Nepal: New NGO Law Should Protect Rights
Government’s Recent Moves Have Restricted Activists, by Human Rughts Watch, 14 November 2019

Nepal: Release Report on 2015 Protest Violence: Suppressing Lal Commission Findings Denies Justice to Terai Victims, by Human Rights Watch, 1 October 2019

All work, no pay: The struggle of Qatar's migrant workers for justice, Amnesty International, 19 September 2019

Torture and forced child labour: UN experts find Nepal violated human rights, by OHCHR 27/08/2019,  including full text of the UN document]

On the Occasion of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, by Advocacy Forum - Nepal, 26 June 2019

2019 Trafficking in Person Report: Nepal. by US Department of State, June 20, 2019

Regressive Laws, Mounting Violations, report by Freedom Forum, 3 May 2019

The Legal Stranglehold, by International Federation of Journalists, 3 May 2019

Nepal: To End Hunger, Strengthen and Implement Right to Food Law, Amnesty International, 04 April 2019

Nepal 2018 Human Rights Report, by US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

Fighting inequality in Nepal: The road to prosperity. OXFAM report, 11 January 2019

Media Freedom Deteriorating. Annual media freedom report 2018 by Freedom Forum

Preliminary Comments: Draft Bill to Amend the Act on Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation, 2014], by Amnesty International, ICJ and TRIAL International, 20 July 2018

Preliminary Comments of Conflict Victims’ Common Platform (CVCP) on proposed TJ draft bill to amend Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, Truth and Reconciliation Act, 2014, 17 July 2018

Nepal: Transitional Justice Reform an Urgent Need; Current Draft Law Does Not Meet International Standards on Prosecuting Worst Crimes, by Human Rights Watch, 7 July 2018

Rule of Law Index 2017-2018 - Nepal, by World Justice Project

Nepal 2017 Human Rights Report, by US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor

Amnesty International Annual Report 2017/2018 on Nepal, 22 February 2018

Nepal: Events of 2017, by Human Rights Watch, January 2018

Nepal: Transitional Justice Proving Elusive Term Extensions do not Cure Act’s Fundamental Problems. Joint press statement by ICJ, HRW and AI, 13 February 2018

Nepal’s Transitional Justice Process: Challenges and Future Strategy. A Discussion Paper, by International Commission of Jurists, August 2017

Trafficking in persons. National report 2015/16, by NHRC, June 2017

Amnesty International. Turning people into profits: Abusive recruitment, trafficking and forced labour of Nepali migrant workers. London, 6 June 2017

New Fronts, Brave Voices: Press Freedom in South Asia 2016-17, by International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), 3 May 2017 [Nepal on pages 72-77]

“Building inequality": The failure of the Nepali government to protect the marginalised in post-earthquake reconstruction efforts (Amnesty International 25/04/2017)

"What I want is for the government to help". Nepal: Ensure the right to adequate housing for the marginalised in post-earthquake Nepal (Amnesty International 25/04/2017)

Serious Crimes in Nepal’s Criminal Code Bill, 2014. A Briefing Paper by International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), March 2017

National Human Rights Commission Nepal (NHRC)

Nepal 2016 Human Rights Report, by US Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 3 March 2017

Nepal 206/17, report by Amnesty International, 22 February 2017

Nepal: extending transitional justice commissions without granting real powers betrays trust of victims, by International Commission of Jurists (10 February 2017)

NHRC. Varshik Prativedhan 2072/73 (yearly report), 13 January 2017 (in Nepali)

Human Rights Watch, World report 2017, Nepal chapter (January 2017)

Nepal: Decade After Peace, Scant Progress On Justice; Political Parties Fail to Deliver on Promises, by Human Rights Watch, 18 October 2016

Global Gender Gap Report 2016 - Nepal data, by World Economic Forum, Geneva, October 2016

Statement on the CIAA and reports on investigation of Social Science Baha (SSB) and Alliance for Social Dialogue (ASD) (BNAC 01/10/2016)

“Our Time to Sing and Play”: Child Marriage in Nepal, by Human Rights Watch, 7 September 2016 [see also video]

Nepal - Torture and Coerced Confessions, by Amnesty International, 19 July 2016

The Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (Control) Bill, 2014. A Briefing Paper by International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), June 2016

Nepal 2015 Human Rights Report, by Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Washington, 14 April 2016

Nepal 2015/16, by Amnesty International, 24 February 2016

Nepal’s police in Madhesi-hunting spree (Asian Human Rights Commission, 24 February 2016)

INSEC Yearbook 2016 (19 February 2016)

Earthquake Recovery Must Safeguard Human Rights, by Amnesty International 1 June 2015

Human Rights Watch: Silenced and Forgotten  Survivors of Nepal’s Conflict-Era Sexual Violence. September 23, 2014

International Commission of Jurists (ICJ): Justice denied: The 2014 Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons, Truth and Reconciliation Act. Geneva, May 2014

U.S. Department of State: Nepal 2013 Human Rights Report

Human Rights Watch. Under China’s Shadow: Mistreatment of Tibetans in Nepal. 1 April 2014

THRD Alliance. Continuing extra-judicial executions in the Terai (March 2014)

Amnesty International. The dark side of migration: Spotlight on Qatar's construction sector ahead of the world cup, London: AI, 18 November 2013

Nepal: Is the Government Unable or Unwilling to Prevent and Investigate Torture?, report by Advocacy Forum (26/06/2013)

Human Rights Watch: World Report 2013, Nepal chapter (01/02/2013)

Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC): The State of Human Rights in Nepal in 2012 (10/12/2012)

Torture of Women: Nepal’s Duplicity Continues, rebort by Advocacy Forum (26/06/2012

Torture of Women in Detention: Nepal’s Failure to Prevent and Protect, by Advocy Forum (26/06/2011)

Right to Information Rules, 2065 (2009)

Right to Information Act, 2064 (2007)