Nepal convicts soldiers of killing girl during civil war

Kathmandu : Three Nepali soldiers have each been sentenced to 20 years in jail for the  killing of a teenage girl, only the second ever conviction linked to crimes committed during the country's decade-long civil war which ended in 2006.

Fifteen-year-old Maina Sunuwar died in army custody in 2004 after being brutally interrogated by the military for alleged links to the Maoist rebels.

"A hearing yesterday issued a verdict of 20 years for three army officers in a case registered by Maina's mother," Krishna Adhikari, a court official in Kavre district, near Kathmandu, told AFP on Monday. 

The three convicted soldiers were not present in court and are not currently in custody, and rights groups have raised concerns about whether they will be made to serve their sentences.

A fourth soldier, the most senior of all those accused, was acquitted.

Sunuwar's mother, Devi, campaigned for years for justice for her daughter, who was arrested in her home by soldiers looking for her mother.

"We have fought for justice for so many years, I'm glad the court has understood our plight," she told AFP. 

"But our fight is not over. I'm worried the decision might be limited to paper. The state must implement the court's decision."

More than 17,000 people were killed during the civil war, which ended with a peace deal between Maoist insurgents and government forces. 

Both sides stand accused of committing rights abuses during the conflict, but rights groups say little has been done to hold the perpetrators -- many of whom continue to hold senior positions in the military and government -- to account.

In December 2014, five former Maoist rebels were jailed for two years for torturing and killing a journalist, a sentence many criticised for being too lenient. 

Nepal set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the Disappeared in 2015, aimed at healing wounds from the conflict, but investigations have made little progress due to a lack of funds and political inertia.