I’ve followed human rights issues for much of my career. I even worked for the UN human rights office in Nepal soon after the civil war ended in the mid-2000s. Back then, Nepal’s own human rights commission was quite insular, focused on overcoming the huge challenges around the conflict using the few resources it had available in a sometimes hostile environment.
I left Nepal for 6 years and when I returned in 2016 I was surprised to see that the commission had a much louder voice, at least on social media. It belonged to Mohna Ansari, one of the NHRC’s commissioners and its Spokesperson. On Twitter Ansari, Nepal’s first female Muslim lawyer, did much more than post institutional updates. She used her voice to swiftly call out human rights abuses and other injustices, and to call on the police, government and other institutions to play their roles effectively.
The six-year tenure of Ansari and the other NHRC commissioners ended in October, so I thought it would be a good time to hear her assessment of the team’s work in a period when the government was mostly dismissive — and at times highly critical — of the commission.
In our chat, we talked about her work at the NHRC and Nepal’s Women’s Commission. We also discussed her family’s modest roots in Nepalgunj, in Nepal’s southwest, the challenges of working as a high-profile public figure who is also a minority, and the roles of the international community and civil society in safeguarding human rights in Nepal.
By the way, this is our last episode of 2020. Although the year was a bust it did see the birth of this podcast, so it wasn’t a complete disaster. Thank you to everyone who supported the idea and its execution, including all of the guests who have generously given their time, and to you, for listening.
(Apologies for the audio quality in some places — it’s the price we pay for recording online.)
Resources
National Human Rights Commission, Nepal
Nepal Now social links
Thanks as always to Nikunja Nepal for advice and inspiration.
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Thank you to the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters of Nepal and Himal Media for use of their studios.