Nepal, Aug. 6 -- In the first week of May, the Balendra Shah government, through an ordinance, relieved hundreds of officials from universities, commissions and several other political positions. Among them were the 10 office-bearers of the two transitional justice bodies-five each from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons.

While replacements in most of the other vacant positions have either been made or are in the process, no concrete initiative has been taken to fill these two mechanisms. The transitional justice process has long been a victim of political meddling, pushing thousands of victims of atrocities committed during the 1996-2006 Maoist insurgency, by both ...