Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES condemns the arrest of a journalist by the security forces. Furthermore, CEHURDES continues to urge the authorities to respect the universal mandates of press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as people’s fundamental human rights guaranteed by national and international instruments. According to Suresh Acharya, president of the Federation of Nepalese […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES welcomes the release of two journalists and rights activists by the security forces. Furthermore, CEHURDES urges the authorities to respect the universal mandates of press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as people’s fundamental human rights guaranteed by national and international instruments. On the evening of 26 March 2002, the authorities […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES denounces ongoing interference by security forces that prevents journalists from being able to move freely and provide impartial news reports. Furthermore, the organisation also condemns the recent Maoist rebel attacks against the state-owned Gorakhapatra Corporation. According to news reports, on 24 March 2002, security personnel arrested Kumar Rawat, publisher and editor of […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is deeply shocked over the ongoing interference by security forces, which prevents journalists from being able to move freely and provide impartial news reports. Furthermore, the organisation condemns the recent arrests of journalists and rights activists. According to news reports, from 14 to 16 March 2002, the security forces took two journalists […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – According to the Nepali daily “Spacetime”, the authorities released journalist Shankar Khanal on 3 March 2002. The journalist spent over three months in custody without charge. The security forces arrested Khanal, a correspondent from the state-owned Radio Nepal and “Spacetime” daily, on 2 December 2001 in Sankhuwasabha (eastern Nepal). Background Information Over twenty […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is shocked over the news that journalist Gopal Budhathoki was kidnapped and condemns similar actions undertaken by any group for whatever reason. On the night of 3 March 2002, Budhathoki, publisher and editor of the weekly “Sanghu”, was kidnapped by unidentified individuals in Kathmandu. On 6 March, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is deeply shocked and wishes to express its serious concern over the reported arrest and torture of journalist Bijaya Raj Acharya. According to his wife Pushpa Acharya, her husband was arrested by security personnel on 9 January 2002. He was severely tortured while in custody during the first three to four days. […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is concerned about the ongoing attempts to harass journalists while they are reporting on the news. The organisation calls on the concerned authorities to ensure that justice is served and due process is followed. The local administration has released Navaraj Pahadi, local reporter for the daily “Kantipur”, in the western district of […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is shocked and condemns the ongoing interference by security forces, which prevents journalists and media workers from reporting on the news freely and fairly, in the name of implementing the “state of emergency” mandate. On 29 January 2002, plainclothes security personnel arrested Kishor Shreshtha, editor of “Jana Aastha Weekly”. He was kept […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a 16 January 2002 CEHURDES press release: CEHURDES calls for the respect of citizens’ basic rights and asks that human rights activists and journalists be allowed to report impartially on the current situation Nepal has been under a state of emergency for the last two months. King Gyanendra declared the […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES is shocked and condemns the continuous actions against, and harassment of, media workers by the administration and security forces during the current “state of emergency” period. Since the declaration of a state of emergency, the security forces have arrested over four dozen journalists nationwide. These actions are totally unacceptable under internationally-accepted press […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES has condemned and expressed its shock over the ongoing action against media workers by the security forces, who are impeding the practice of free and fair news reporting under the guise of enforcing the “state of emergency” mandate. On 5 January 2002, security forces detained BBC stringer Sharad K.C. in western Nepal, […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES has condemned the ongoing administrative intervention into the work of the media and media workers, in the name of implementing the “state of emergency” mandate. On 31 December 2001, the local administration in Kathmandu summoned editor-in-chief and publisher Pushkar Lal Shrestha and editor Kapil Kafle of “Nepal Samacharpatra”, a Nepali language daily. […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – According to the daily “Rajdhani”, ten pro-Maoist journalists were sent to the Bhadragol detention center in Kathmandu by the authorities. The detained journalists, who were arrested on 26 November, are: editor Govinda Acharya, executive editor Khil Bahadur Bhandari, reporter Dipak Sapkota, editorial assistant Dipendra Sapkota and a computer operator, Rambhakta Maharjan, all from […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES has repeatedly expressed its concern over the harassment of media by security personnel in their efforts to maintain peace and security and control terrorist activities. The security forces’ actions are taking place both within the mandate of the declared “state of emergency” and in a move to gag the press. On 17 […]

(CEHURDES/IFEX) – According to the “Kantipur Daily”, the local administration has released thirty-seven of thirty-eight journalists and other individuals who were taken into custody on Thursday 29 November 2001 in the western town of Butwal. The police had taken them into custody from a reception organised by High-Tech Publication Pvt. Ltd., which publishes the daily […]