Victims from all seven provinces of the country participated in the meeting to formulate a unified stance on the provisions of the bill to amend the Disappeared Persons Enquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act (TJ bill). A total of 78 participants attended the meeting.

Victim Leader Suman Adhikari gave a PowerPoint presentation on the TJ bill and the report of the task force comprising the top three political party leaders. He said that the bill contains many problematic provisions that can provide de facto amnesty to perpetrators of human rights violations.

In one of the sessions, the International Senior Legal Advisor for the International Commission of Jurists and Advocacy Forum-Nepal's (AF) Founder Dr Mandira Sharma provided valuable insights into the TJ bill. Dr Sharma underscored the need for significant amendments to the bill to ensure it adequately addresses the needs of conflict victims. She raised concerns about the terminology used in the bill, noting that the distinction between "armed" and "unarmed" could exclude certain victims from justice.

Dr Sharma criticised the provision of claiming only 25 percent of the punishment for perpetrators, arguing that it opens the door for blanket amnesty and undermines the victims' right to full justice.

During the subsequent discussion, victims voiced their concerns about various aspects of the bill, including the guarantee of reparations, the evidentiary threshold required to prove that a deceased victim was unarmed, provisions related to enforced disappearances, reparations for victims of torture, and the sufficiency of the three-month timeframe for reporting sexual violence. Questions were also raised about the safety of victims when filing complaints against high-profile perpetrators and the course of action if the bill passes in its current form.

Following this expert session, the victims were divided into four groups to conduct rigorous discussions on the TJ bill. Each group identified distinct shortcomings in the bill and developed a set of specific demands.

Ultimately, these group discussions led to a consolidated 14-point memorandum, reflecting the collective needs and demands of the victims. This unified document will be submitted to the government to pressure for more comprehensive justice and accountability measures.

The participants said that the meeting not only provided a platform for diverse views and perspectives but also enabled the victims to develop a cohesive strategy for advocating their rights.