Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 24 February 2003, the daily “Nepal Samacharpatra” reported that Dipak Bahadur Thapa, the daily’s local reporter in the far-western district of Achham, has been held hostage by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) cadres for the past three months. The CPN-Maoist village level “people’s government” has reportedly prevented Thapa from leaving his village, […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – Journalist Rabin Prasad Thapalia, of the local weekly “Ruparekha”, published in the Nuwakot district, has received death threats from Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) cadres for publishing a critical news report on Maoist attacks in western and central Nepal. On 24 February 2003, Thapalia informed journalists in Kathmandu that the CPN-Maoists had handed […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a 13 February 2003 CEHURDES statement: CEHURDES calls on authorities and CPN-Maoists to show their commitment to the peace process The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) strongly urges the Nepalese authorities and Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels to show their commitment to the peace process following […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 7 February 2003, the Nepalese authorities released three detainees, including two journalists, further to a Supreme Court order. Those freed on 7 February include Om Sharma and Krishna Prasad Khanal, who are both journalists affiliated with Kathmandu-based pro-Maoist newspapers. Sharma, a Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) council member, spent nearly 15 months […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES reports that two journalists have been rearrested shortly after their release from custody. The organisation condemns this action taken by the authorities and urges them to respect press freedom and freedom of expression and release all the journalists who remain in detention. On 22 January 2003, the authorities rearrested journalist Bharat Sigdel, […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – According to CEHURDES’s sources, plainclothes security forces agents have been surrounding the house of Kishor Shrestha, editor of “Janaastha” weekly, since 8 January 2003. They have also harassed the journalist’s family and attempted to arrest him. Security forces raided Shrestha’s house (located in Nakhu, Lalitpur district) on the morning of 8 January. Federation […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES welcomes the release of journalist Dev Kumar Yadav after nearly 13 months in detention on allegations of being a Maoist. CEHURDES urges the authorities to release all remaining journalists in detention and respect press freedom and freedom of expression. Yadav, Siraha correspondent for the pro-Maoist weekly “Janadisha”, was released on bail on […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 16 December 2002, Nepalese authorities released Govinda Acharya and Chandraman Shrestha, editor and managing editor, respectively, of the pro-Maoist weekly “Janadesh”. The two journalists were released in the presence of Gopal Budhathoki, Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) vice-president. Acharya was arrested by security forces on 26 November 2001, the first day of […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a 28 November 2002 CEHURDES press statement: NEPAL JOURNALISTS, RIGHTS ACTIVISTS FILE COMPENSATION CASES Kathmandu, Nov. 28 – A total of 16 journalists and human rights activists filed separate cases against the government at the district court of Kathmandu on Thursday, seeking compensation for their “illegal” detention during the nine-month […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES condemns the treatment of journalists by the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels and calls on them to respect the basic norms of media freedom and freedom of expression. CEHURDES also calls on CPN rebel leaders to cease attacking journalists and ensure that they are free to carry out their activities. On […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES denounces the actions taken by the security forces against journalists in different parts of the country and urges them to respect the universal principles of media freedom and freedom of expression. On 12 November 2002, the police took into custody Tikaram Rai, editor and publisher of “Aparanha”, under the Public Offence Act. […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The Nepalese authorities released six pro-Maoist journalists on 5 November 2002. Dipendra Rokaya, Dipak Sapkota and Dhan Bahadur Magar, of the weekly “Janadesh”, Ishwor Chandra Gyawali and Manarishi Dhital, of the monthly “Dishabodh”, and Meena Tiwari, of the monthly “Eikyabadhata”, were released from three different prisons in the capital, Kathmandu. The journalists were […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 7 October 2002, journalist Deepak Pandey, associated with Space Time Publications, was beaten by plainclothes police inspector Sukadev Neupane. The incident occurred while Pandey was reporting at the site of a timber fire at around 9:00 p.m. (local time), near Kamalpokhari, in Kathmandu. Space Time Publications publishes the daily newspapers “Spacetime Today” […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – A person identifying himself as Shobhit Banset recently threatened two journalists associated with Kamana Publications Group Pvt. Ltd. Banset made repeated threatening telephone calls to Tanka Panta and Dipak Rijal on 20 September 2002. He claimed to be associated with the underground Communist Party of Nepal (CPN, Maoist party), and threatened to “physically […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES welcomes the government’s public announcement of the whereabouts of 16 journalists. To date, there are more than 33 journalists still in police custody and in various jails. CEHURDES asks, therefore, that the government announce the whereabouts of the remaining journalists. Nine months after the state of emergency was imposed, the news is […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 29 August 2002, Keshav Bhattarai, a reporter for the fortnightly publication “Ghatana Times” in Taplejung and a member of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), was imprisoned. According to local journalist Mana Mani Kafle, Bhattarai had been detained by police on 22 August. Bhattarai, aged 27, is an inhabitant of Dhungesanghu, in […]