Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program Mourns Loss of Alumnus Suvash Darnal

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Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program Mourns Loss of Alumnus Suvash Darnal

 

 

The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellows Program is deeply saddened to announce the tragic loss of Nepalese democracy activist and former Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow Suvash Darnal (Fall Cohort, 2008-2009). Suvash was killed in a traffic accident near Dulles Airport, outside Washington, D.C., on August 15, 2011.  He had just completed a summer fellowship at Stanford University's Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law and was visiting Washington on his way home.  He was scheduled to come to NED for an interview regarding his experience as a Reagan-Fascell Fellow.

 

The Reagan-Fascell program staff recall Suvash as an extraordinary activist, a warm and vibrant human rights advocate who was passionate about securing the rights of the Dalit community and other marginalized groups in Nepal. While at NED, Suvash gave a presentation entitled "Securing Dalit Rights: The Case for Affirmative Action in the 'New Nepal,'" which can be viewed here.

 

In 2008, with the support of NED funding, Suvash established the Samata Foundation, which aims to "end discrimination and promote inclusive democracy in Nepal by conducting research, advocacy and building capacity of the next generation of leaders from marginalized communities, particularly the Dalit community."

 

We will miss Suvash as a leading voice in the fight for Dalit rights in Nepal and as a wonderful colleague and friend.  We know that his cause will continue as others step forward to carry on his vital work.

 

 

For more information, please view two additional posts from the National Endowment for Democracy below, or contact judithw@ned.org.

 

 

 

 

 

Website of the National Endowment for Democracy

Original link available at: http://www.ned.org/for-reporters/ned-mourns-the-tragic-death-of-suvash-darnal

 

Aug 16, 2011

NED Mourns the Tragic Death of Suvash Darnal

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is mourning the tragic death of Nepalese democracy and human rights advocate Suvash Darnal, who was killed on August 15th in a highway accident outside Washington, D.C. "Suvash's death is a huge loss, for his family most of all and his friends, and also for his country," said Carl Gershman, President of the National Endowment for Democracy, where Darnal was a Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow in late 2008 and early 2009. "He had so much to give," added Gershman. "He was such an extraordinarily good and positive person, always with a sparkle and a smile. He is deeply mourned and will be sorely, painfully missed."

 

Darnal was highly devoted to the cause of marginalized groups in Nepal, particularly the Dalit community. As founder and managing director of the Samata Foundation, a Kathmandu-based research and advocacy organization that is a NED grantee, Darnal worked to bolster the involvement of Dalits in policy making and to ensure that Nepal's new constitution includes protections for Dalits and other minorities. "Suvash was a leading Dalit activist with fresh ideas and a progressive vision for his country," said Mona Dave, NED Program Officer for Asia. "He worked tirelessly to end discrimination against the Dalit community and other minority groups. Suvash was an inspiration to all he encountered and his tragic death is a great loss. We will always remember his gentle demeanor and kind heart."

 

Darnal, who recently completed a fellowship at Stanford University's Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, was also the founding member of the Jagaran Media Center, created to build awareness in the media about marginalized groups and train Dalit youth as journalists. According to Brian Joseph, NED's Senior Director for Asia, "Not only was Suvash a dedicated and principled activist, he was also a creative thinker who was always willing to engage in discussions in an effort to refine his ideas. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him."
 

 

Democracy Digest Blog

Original link available at: http://www.demdigest.net/blog/

 

Democrats mourn tragic loss of Suvash Darnal, Dalit rights activist

Credit:myrepublica.com


 

A leading Nepalese rights activist was killed in a traffic accident yesterday en route from Dulles International Airport on the outskirts of Washington, DC.

Suvash Darnal (right), the founder and executive director of the Samata Foundation, was returning from a fellowship program at Stanford University's Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, when the shuttle bus in which he was traveling crashed on the Dulles toll road.

 

Darnal was a prominent advocate for the rights of Dalits - also known as 'untouchables' - and his foundation, a Kathmandu-based research and advocacy organization supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, worked to counter anti-Dalit discrimination and to ensure that Nepal's new constitution includes guarantees for Dalits and other minority rights. "We can't enjoy a democracy without cleansing our thoughts of the outdated pure-impure dichotomy," he believed.

 

Darnal was a "wonderfully good and generous" person whose death is a "tremendous loss," said Carl Gershman, the NED's president. He was a "great human rights defender" who was "working for a new democracy" in Nepal.
 

 

"Suvash was a leading Dalit activist with fresh ideas and a progressive vision for his country," said Mona Dave, NED Program Officer for Asia. "He worked tirelessly to end discrimination against the Dalit community and other minority groups.

The first Dalit in his community to graduate from school, he jointly established the Collective Campaign for Peace, which emerged as a leading civil society actor during the Jana Andolan or pro-democracy movement of 2006 against the autocratic rule of King Gyanendra.

 

"At one point, it became the secretariat for the civil democratic movement in Nepal," Darnal said in an interview last year. Establishing the Samata Foundation was a necessary next step:

"I knew I wanted to take the Dalit issues further. But in order to do so, I knew I had to find a way of taking the discourse to the policy formation level. We needed research," said Suvash...... "The problem with our political parties, civil society, and intellectuals is that we don't see the political situation in Nepal in the casteist framework."Suvash speaks with feeling: "What I know is that more research needs to be done. And our policies must be focused. We can't enjoy a democracy without cleansing our thoughts of the outdated pure-impure dichotomy. I've seen it, felt it, and it's not a pretty or democratic practice." 

 

The Jana Andolan's success in unseating the monarchy created an opportunity to redress long-standing grievances and injustices, he argued, but Dalit and other minority rights should be constitutionally-enshrined to guard against any backsliding. 

 

"The voice and agendas of the Dalit community were for centuries alienated by the state and the different factions of society, and are now finally on course to getting recognition, as a result of the last People's Revolution," Darnal wrote. "This year, institutionalizing the achievements of the 60-year-old Dalit revolution will be of a huge priority."  

 

Darnal was also the founding member of the Jagaran Media Center, established to cultivate media awareness about marginalized minorities and to train young Dalit journalists. "Not only was Suvash a dedicated and principled activist, he was also a creative thinker who was always willing to engage in discussions in an effort to refine his ideas," said Brian Joseph, NED's Senior Director for Asia. "He will be deeply missed by all who knew him."

 

During his Reagan-Fascell fellowship at the NED, Darnal explored strategies and techniques for including marginalized groups such as the Dalits into the political, economic, and social mainstream in Nepal. His presentation - Securing Dalit Rights: The Case for Affirmative Action in the 'New Nepal' - can be viewed here.

The NED is planning to organize a memorial symposium in recognition of Suvash Darnal's work. Further details will be available through the Democracy Digest.

 

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