(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a 25 April 2006 CEHURDES press release: CEHURDES welcomes reinstatement of the House of Representatives, calls upon the new government to annul anti-media ordinances Kathmandu, April 25 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) – a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group – welcomes King Gyanendra’s proclamation […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a 25 April 2006 CEHURDES press release:
CEHURDES welcomes reinstatement of the House of Representatives, calls upon the new government to annul anti-media ordinances
Kathmandu, April 25 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) – a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group – welcomes King Gyanendra’s proclamation to reinstate the House of Representatives that was dissolved nearly four years ago.
At the end of the nearly three-week long nationwide protest programmes, in which millions of people – including people from every walk of life – actively took part, braving police atrocities (over a dozen demonstrators lost their lives while thousands of others were injured), King Gyanendra accepted the key opposition demand of the House reinstatement. The House is to meet on Friday and the seven party opposition alliance has already named veteran politician and former premier, 85-year-old G P Koirala, to head the new government.
CEHURDES believes that the reinstatement of the dissolved House will go a long way to install an accountable government, and to restore the rule of law and the fundamental human rights of citizens, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
The 14-month-long direct rule of King Gyanendra will be remembered as the “darkest period” for the Nepali media. During this period, Nepali media and media personnel were subject to the harshest repression of press freedom; hundreds of them were detained simply for calling for press freedom and freedom of expression; an equal number of journalists were physically beaten and manhandled; dozens of newspapers had to be closed and the government introduced a number of new laws through ordinances to gag the independent media in the country.
CEHURDES calls upon the new democratic government – which is likely to be installed this week – to annul all controversial ordinances that aimed at curtailing press freedom in the country and to express its full commitment to press freedom and freedom of expression in the country. We also hope that the new government will book the officials found guilty of suppressing the peaceful movement in the country and that it will strictly instruct security forces not to target media personnel under any pretext.
CEHURDES would also like to express its sincere gratitude and appreciation to the international press freedom organisations that helped by expressing solidarity with the Nepali media fraternity and coming forward to help Nepali journalists in their fight for the protection and promotion of press freedom and freedom of expression in the country.
