Improper arrest and seizure questioned

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is seeking information and clarification regarding the 20 April 1999 arrest of Krishna Sen, editor of the Nepali-language weekly “Janadesh”, and the reported seizure of thousands of copies of the newspaper. CPJ’s sources say that Sen has not yet been formally charged, but that he was apparently arrested in connection with Janadesh’s […]

(CPJ/IFEX) – CPJ is seeking information and clarification regarding the 20
April 1999 arrest of Krishna Sen, editor of the Nepali-language weekly
“Janadesh”, and the reported seizure of thousands of copies of the
newspaper.

CPJ’s sources say that Sen has not yet been formally charged, but that he
was apparently arrested in connection with Janadesh’s publication this week
of an interview with Babaram Bhattarai, one of the leaders of Nepal’s Maoist
insurgency. According to the Associated Press, police also confiscated
20,000 copies of this week’s edition of Janadesh, which contained the
controversial interview.

Members of the outlawed Maoist wing of the Communist Party of Nepal have
been fighting a guerrilla war since 1996 to overthrow the country’s
constitutional monarchy. In response to the recent threats by Maoist rebels
to sabotage upcoming parliamentary elections, police and security forces
have stepped up their campaign to crush the insurgent movement.

CPJ is concerned that in the government’s haste to contain the threats posed
by the Maoist movement, police have acted without regard to Nepal’s
constitutional guarantees. The constitution states explicitly that “No
person who is arrested shall be detained in custody without being informed .
. . of the grounds for such arrest” and that “No news item, article or any
other reading material shall be censored.”

Recommended Action

His Excellency Girija Prasad Koirala

Prime Minister

Office of the Prime Minister

Singh Durbar

Kathmandu, Nepal

Fax: +977 1 227 286