New Delhi:

Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) condemned the killing of at least 50 innocent civilians and injuring of 40 others in a land mine blast today in Nepal as an act of “terrorism and crimes against humanity”.  The incident reportedly took place at about 8 am after a packed passenger bus ran over a landmine planted on a bridge at Mudhekhola in Kalyanpur VDC, Madi area of Chitwan district. Over 12,000 persons have been killed in the conflict that begun in 1996.

“International humanitarian law and the Rome Statute of international Criminal Court prohibit such willful killing and mass murder “committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.” – stated Suhas Chakma, Director of Asian Centre for Human Rights.

Asian Centre for Human Rights called upon both the government of Nepal and the Maoists to refrain from the violations of the international human rights and humanitarian laws, provide full and unrestricted access to the International Committee of the Red Cross and called upon King Gyanendra to restore multi-party democracy with constitutional monarchy to initiate negotiation with the Maoists to bring an end to the killings.

ACHR also called upon the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal to conduct an inquiry into the incident and refer the report to the International Criminal Court for necessary action.

Ends/-