Jit Man

Nepal, CAHR, Spring 2009

2009
2014

I was born in a remote area of Nepal in 1975, the second of five children and the only son. In 1999 I qualified as a lawyer in Kathmandu. By then, I was already involved in publishing a magazine called Sagarmatha Sandesh (later called the Sagarmatha Times) which exposed political corruption, human rights violations and social injustice.

At this time, a growing number of people were being arrested, disappeared, killed and severely tortured in army custody, often because they were suspected of being involved with the Maoist rebels. In November 2003, an editorial entitled "A Petition to King Gyanendra" about the king's property and a report regarding the Doramba killings in Ramechhap District appeared in the Sagarmatha Times. Because of the contents of this editorial and article, the Royal Nepal Army (RNA) arrested me on 4 February 2004, and held me in the Bhairabnath Battalion barracks in the capital for 258 days, without any formal charge and not giving any information to my family.

Ironically, a year beforehand I had been kidnapped by the Maoist rebels and held for a day, during which time I was tortured, as they accused me of being a RNA informer. This is because I had exposed some of the human rights abuses committed by the rebels as well as by the army.

While in the Bhairabnath Battalion barracks, I never imagined that I would come out of army custody and have the opportunity to share my experiences of that hell. Regularly, I had to witness a deeply agonising environment that included the killing of women after being raped, the death of detainees because they were not fed, people collapsing due to hunger, and the painful howls of the tortured and their slide into madness because they could no longer bear the pain.

Sometimes there is little I can do, but it makes me feel proud if I save even one life from that daily hell.

I wrote a book named "258 Dark Days" narrating my experiences while confined in the Bhairabnath Battalion barracks and its first edition was published in March 2007. An English edition appeared in December 2008 and I plan to publish it in several other languages. I hope my book will stand as evidence of the abuses carried out in the barracks.

After the royal takeover, I could not live in Nepal due to fear of re-arrest and the possibility of being killed. On 18 February 2005, with the support of Swiss diplomats and the United Nations, I left Nepal and went into exile in India for 18 months. Following the political changes, I returned to Nepal and started working for human rights and justice again.

In 2006, the Nepalese human rights lawyers came together to form the Lawyers Forum For Human Rights (LAFHUR) for the support of victims of human rights violations. I have been General Secretary in this organization since its establishment. The LAFHUR provides free legal assistance to the victims of HR violations, poor people and women. Sooner, we are planning to launch a Mobile School of Human Rights (HR Awareness Program) in various parts of Nepal.

Difficulties remain even after the political change in Nepal. Because of my outspokenness about the abuses I have witnessed, I remain in the frontline of the movement to end the culture of impunity. For the first time in Nepalese legal history, I filed a case against King Gyanendra regarding his involvement in HR violations as chief of the RNA and its chain of command. This is one of several cases against human rights abusers still pending in court. As well as court cases, we have held public protests, staged hunger strikes and tried to increase public pressure to end impunity.

Two months after the publication of my book, in May 2007, I received a death threat from an unidentified person over the telephone. I believe certain members of the army are trying to silence me. Afraid that my life was in danger, I was rescued by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal, along with the Danish Embassy and Peace Brigades International. I was sheltered for 19 days in a diplomat's house in Kathmandu. In October 2007, after continued threats, I could not stay in Nepal and returned to exile in India for another 8 months. I then went back to Nepal to carry on my work for the victims of human rights abuses.

I arrived in York for the Fellowship in February 2009. Having returned alive from what I thought was my deathbed, I feel like I've been given another life. Since my time in detention, I have struggled to save the lives of others who are at death's door. Sometimes there is little I can do, but it makes me feel proud if I save even one life from that daily hell.

Jitman Basnet contacted the Centre for Applied Human Rights in York from Washington DC (USA) where he is currently based for the next stage of his work. Jitman came to York in February 2009, which was a welcome sanctuary from a difficult period of moving in and out of Nepal and experiencing unimaginable circumstances in illegal detention. Since leaving York, Jitman has been able to implement his "Mobile School of Human Rights" that he created in York which has been able to reach a wide community not only in Nepal but now in the USA.

Jitman's time in York had a great impact on the work he is doing now. As a trained lawyer and founder of Lawyers' Forum of Human Rights, Jitman believed that a greater understanding and education for all about their basic human rights was needed in Nepal in the context of the harsh political circumstances. However Jitman's work was hindered as he was on the radar of the Nepalese Army due to publications he had written on the political system. He was detained illegally several times in severe conditions, and this threat made it hard for Jitman to concentrate and push his work forward. York was a breath of fresh air and a safe sanctuary for Jitman to assess his situation and the way forward; "York was a time for me to be able to reflect and progress my work, as, when I had fears of killing or abductions, I could not really progress. If you feel safe you can do more. In this environment I felt very safe". He could learn, study and design in this environment provided by the Centre of Applied Human Rights. Meeting other fellows in York however was one of the most valuable aspects of the project for Jitman. He heard about the different experiences of the other fellows from Africa and the Middle East. Jitman learnt a lot from them; how they are working, what their issues were, what were the similarities between their projects and the situation in their home nations. Jitman valued their recommendations and the opportunity to share his own experiences and stories. He is still in contact with some of the fellows.

York was a time for me to be able to reflect and progress my work. In this environment I felt very safe.

Most significantly York gave Jitman the opportunity to materialise his idea of the Mobile School of Human Rights to a level that he could put into practice once returning to Nepal. His work has heavily impacted the community in Nepal and reached many people. Jitman believes that human rights education in Nepal is very hard, and there is not a lot of access for people in rural areas to understand their rights. Since so many human rights crimes are occurring on a regular basis everyone should understand that what is taking place is not right, and if they or a family member is affected by this they should have access to legal aid. The project on the "Mobile School of Human Rights" he created has had a direct impact on people in communities, helping them realise their human rights and increase their knowledge of what to do when they are challenged. It performed very well in Nepal despite the lack of funding. Seventeen human rights lawyers were deployed for this programme, and approximately 100 people benefited directly and around 200 people benefited indirectly from the programme in Nepal.

Jitman has now taken this project to the USA where he is expanding his programme. He has spoken in many universities and colleges, meeting students and people in communities. In the US, 5 universities (University of New Mexico, University of Minneapolis, Boston University, John Hopkins University, Monterey Institute of International Studies), dozens of local communities and faith-based organisations were reached. Approximately 1,200 people in the US have so far benefited from the Mobile School of Human Rights. Jitman believes that there is the realisation of civil rights in the USA however little knowledge of human rights. The American political agenda does not prioritise human rights either.

Jitman is determined to pursue this project that he created in York further. His metaphor for his own programme? "Keep your whole school in your bag and travel from place to place". He is determined to expand his project.

Jitman was interviewed by Isabel Pearson (student, Department of Politics) in June 2014.

Back to past defenders