Kathmandu  - International human rights organisations have asked the new Nepalese government to prosecute those responsible for enforced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and torture during Nepal's decade-long Maoist insurgency.

The United States based Human Rights Watch and Nepal-based Advocacy Forum in a joint report, Waiting for Justice: Unpunished Crimes from Nepal's Armed Conflict, said not a single person had been prosecuted so far for crimes during the insurgency.

The report documented in detail 62 cases of killings, disappearances, and torture between 2002 and 2006, mostly perpetrated by security forces.

"The Maoists claimed they took up arms because of the denial of justice," said Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch. "Now that they are in government, we hope they will show the courage to bring perpetrators to justice."

"The families of those killed and disappeared have filed detailed complaints with police seeking criminal investigations but the Nepali justice system has failed miserably to respond to these complaints," the report said.

The reports said police have on many occasions refused to register complaints on forced disappearances and extra-judicial killings, saying they would be dealt with by a proposed transitional justice body.

"Due to fear, ignorance or incompetence, police and prosecutors have time and again failed in their duty to investigate and prosecute these crimes," said Mandira Sharma, executive director of Advocacy Forum.

"If there is political will, then we can achieve justice. The government needs to support the police to do their job and restore people's trust in the rule of law and state institutions," Sharma said.

The two organizations also called on the new government to criminalize disappearances and torture and set up a commission of inquiry into disappearances that does not grant amnesty for serious human rights abuses.

"The new government and law enforcement agencies have a historic chance to show that they will investigate and prosecute abusers and send a message that no one in Nepal can get away with murder," Adams said.

Nearly 14,000 people died in Nepal's communist insurgency which ended with the formal signing of a peace deal between the government and the Maoist rebels in November 2008.

About 1,000 people are listed as missing after being held either by security forces or the Maoists.

Repeated attempts to start investigations into the disappearances have failed.

The new Maoist led government which was sworn-in last month has promised to form a commission to investigate forced disappearances. (dpa)