(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES welcomes the release of Nagendra Upadhyay, editor of “New Malika”, a Nepali-language weekly newspaper published from the far-western district of Kailali. Upadhyay had spent nearly six months in detention prior to his release. The District Administration Office (DAO) of Kailali released Upadhyay on 4 January 2006 on the condition that he report […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES welcomes the release of Nagendra Upadhyay, editor of “New Malika”, a Nepali-language weekly newspaper published from the far-western district of Kailali. Upadhyay had spent nearly six months in detention prior to his release.
The District Administration Office (DAO) of Kailali released Upadhyay on 4 January 2006 on the condition that he report to the DAO every 15 days.
Upadhyay was detained in July of 2004 for having helped two Maoist activists to undergo treatment at a local hospital. He was held for six days at the local barracks of the Royal Nepalese Army, then sentenced to six months imprisonment under the infamous “Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Control and Punishment) Ordinance (TADO)” and sent to serve his term in the district prison in Kailali.
He spent a total of 166 days in custody.
Upadhyay was freed 4 January 2006 in the presence of officials from the Kailali district unit of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ).
Talking to reporters in Kailali upon his release, 23-year-old Upadhyay said he was happy to be free at last. He said he was subject to physical and psychological abuse during the first week of his detention. However, he said he was allowed to meet with family members while in prison.
“I will continue to work as a journalist and will join the on-going fight for press freedom and freedom of expression,” he said.
CEHURDES welcomes the release of Upadhyay, but urges the authorities to withdraw their order that he report to local District Administration Office every 15 days. The order is impractical and will put the young editor under continuous stress.
CEHURDES is also worried about possible further harassment to Upadhyay and demands that the government ensure his safety and well-being.
“New Malika”, the newspaper Upadhyay used to edit, remains closed, as it has been since Upadhyay was detained.
According to CEHURDES’s records, with Upadhyay’s release, only one journalist remains behind bars in Nepal. Tej Narayan Sapkota, affiliated with the weekly Kathmandu-based newspaper “Mahima”, is still under detention, charged under TADO, in Nakkhu prison in Lalitpur.
CEHURDES urges the appropriate authorities to drop the charges against Sapkota and to release him immediately and unconditionally.