(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) – 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 7 January 2003. He had surrendered to the District Administration Office on 28 November 2001 after the government’s imposition of a “state of emergency”. After some 10 days, he was transferred to the district police jail.
Yadav is a member of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ (FNJ) Siraha district branch and is also a former FNJ central member.
Background Information
Following the imposition of a state of emergency on 26 November 2001, more than 150 journalists were arrested in different parts of the country. The state of emergency was lifted on 28 August 2002, but more than two dozen journalists remain in detention. Some journalists have reportedly been physically and psychologically tortured. Several detainees’ whereabouts are unknown. There have been no reports of official charges filed against any of the detained journalists.
On 4 October, King Gyanendra assumed all executive powers. Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was sacked and elections scheduled for 13 November were postponed for an indefinite period. On 11 October, the king formed a government under monarchist Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chanda, granting him limited powers.
Since February 1996, Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels have been fighting to establish a republican state and abolish Nepal’s constitutional monarchy. More than 7,000 people have been killed in the conflict. Nearly half of the victims were killed after the state of emergency declaration.
The security forces killed journalist Krishna Sen in June 2002 after torturing him in custody (see IFEX alerts of 22 and 16 October, 27 and 8 August, 12 and 2 July, 26 June and 22 May 2002). Maoist rebels killed journalist Nawaraj Sharma (see alerts of 23 and 22 August 2002) and journalist Ambika Timsina was killed on 12 December by unknown assailants (see alert of 20 December 2002). The rebels also abducted journalists Demling Lama and Dhan Bahadur Roka (see alerts of 11 and 9 April 2002). Lama managed to escape but Roka’s whereabouts remain unknown.
