(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 17 February 2004, plainclothes security officers arrested journalist Lok Krishna Bhattarai at his residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu. According to family members, Bhattarai was taken away by four individuals in plainclothes who claimed to be security force personnel and said they wanted to question him. Bhattarai is affiliated with “Prakash” weekly newspaper, which […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 17 February 2004, plainclothes security officers arrested journalist Lok Krishna Bhattarai at his residence in Baluwatar, Kathmandu. According to family members, Bhattarai was taken away by four individuals in plainclothes who claimed to be security force personnel and said they wanted to question him. Bhattarai is affiliated with “Prakash” weekly newspaper, which is published in Kathmandu. He is also associated with a number of progressive organisations, including Puspalal Smirti Pratisthan, which was established in memory of the Communist Party of Nepal’s (CPN-Maoist) founder. Bhattarai’s whereabouts are currently unknown.
CEHURDES condemns the journalist’s arrest. The organisation also calls for the security forces to respect basic human rights, press freedom and freedom of expression and urges them to disclose the whereabouts of all arrested journalists.
