Uday Singh Shrestha received a death threat from a trader who said the story jeopardised his business.
(Freedom Forum/IFEX) – Freedom Forum’s attention has been drawn to an incident that occurred in Nepalgunj, a city in the midwestern area of Nepal’s southern plain.
On 22 June 2011, Uday Singh Shrestha, the publisher and editor of the local “Nispakshya Dhwani” daily newspaper, received a death threat from a trader named Raju Shrestha in relation to a story the editor wrote about increasing irregularities in the export of coal and rice chaff. “Trader Raju Shrestha said the news compromised his coal and rice chaff business, so he would take the journalist’s life,” Jhalak Gaire, a local journalist said, quoting the editor.
Freedom Forum is gravely concerned over this incident and strongly urges the local authorities to conduct an investigation into the matter. The authorities are also urged to provide protection to journalists so as to create an environment that is conducive to freedom of expression and that guarantees the right to information.
