(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced dismay at the 31 March 2005 death of provincial newspaper editor Khagendra Shrestha. Shrestha succumbed to gunshot wounds to the head he received two weeks earlier when armed men burst into his office in Dharan, eastern Nepal. He died in hospital in the Indian town of Siliguri, where he was […]
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF has voiced dismay at the 31 March 2005 death of provincial newspaper editor Khagendra Shrestha. Shrestha succumbed to gunshot wounds to the head he received two weeks earlier when armed men burst into his office in Dharan, eastern Nepal. He died in hospital in the Indian town of Siliguri, where he was rushed shortly after being shot.
RSF called on the Nepalese authorities to shed light on the circumstances and exact motives for the editor’s murder. The organisation also urged the Maoist rebels to explain their actions in view of the fact that they have been implicated in the killing. At least three journalists have been killed by Maoist insurgents in the past two years.
Editor of the provincial daily “Dharan Today”, the 45-year-old Shrestha was shot twice in the head on 15 March by two gunmen who walked into his office and left without being stopped. The security forces believe Maoist rebels are behind the shooting, but the Maoists have not claimed responsibility.
Several sources say Shrestha supported King Gyanendra’s declaration of a state of emergency and seizure of full powers on 1 February.
