(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 16 May 2004, a police officer under the command of Inspector Gopi Man Shrestha physically assaulted journalist Jagat Nepal in Khasi Bazar, Kathmandu, while he was covering a protest rally organised by student groups. The journalist works for the private television network Kantipur Television. His journalist identity card was clearly displayed when […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 16 May 2004, a police officer under the command of Inspector Gopi Man Shrestha physically assaulted journalist Jagat Nepal in Khasi Bazar, Kathmandu, while he was covering a protest rally organised by student groups. The journalist works for the private television network Kantipur Television. His journalist identity card was clearly displayed when he was brutally beaten. He was wounded in the neck and was treated for his injuries at Model hospital.
In a separate incident, on 15 May poet Bimal Nibha was brutally beaten by a group of police officers in Hanuman Dhoka, Kathmandu, while returning to his residence. He was found bleeding and managed to get home with the assistance of local people after police left the scene.
CEHURDES condemns the police officers’ brutality and urges the chief of police to take action against the officers involved in the incidents. CEHURDES further calls on all concerned agencies to respect journalists’ and free expression activists’ right to press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as the civil liberties of all citizens.
