(CEHURDES/IFEX) – For the last week journalist Shakti Kuman Pun has been detained by the security forces in Rukum district. Pun, a reporter for the daily “Rajdhani”, was arrested by the security forces during a military operation in rebel stronghold areas. The daily “Nepal Samacharpatra” had previously reported in its 24 November 2004 edition that […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – For the last week journalist Shakti Kuman Pun has been detained by the security forces in Rukum district. Pun, a reporter for the daily “Rajdhani”, was arrested by the security forces during a military operation in rebel stronghold areas.
The daily “Nepal Samacharpatra” had previously reported in its 24 November 2004 edition that the rebels – and not the security forces – had taken Pun into custody for a 35-day period, along with six other people, including schoolteacher Lal Bahadur Gharti. It was reported at the time that the seven individuals had been detained by the rebels for assisting the security forces in the arrest of five Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels from the district’s Rugha Village Development Committee.
In a separate incident, on 20 December, an unidentified group of people abducted journalist Ganesh Khanal from his newspaper’s office in Banepa. Khanal is a reporter for the weekly “Susandesh”, published in Banepa, Kavre district, east of Kathmandu.
According to a press statement issued by the weekly’s editor, Yadunath Gautam, the kidnappers are seeking a ransom of Rs. 5,000,000 (approx. US$69,945). Gautam added that Khanal spoke with his brother, Prakash Khanal, while he was tied to a tree at an unknown location in the district. The CPN-Maoist rebels informed Bhoj Raj Timalsina, president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ (FNJ) Kavre section, that they are not involved in Khanal’s abduction.
CEHURDES condemns Pun’s continued imprisonment and Khanal’s abduction. The organisation urges all parties to respect press freedom and freedom of expression and calls for an end to all attacks against journalists and free expression activists.
