(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is an abridged version of a 14 April 2006 CEHURDES press release: CEHURDES condemns continued harassment, attacks against journalists, govenment’s threats against a leading private TV station, police intervention in peaceful assembly in Nepal Kathmandu, April 14, 06 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) – a Kathmandu-based […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is an abridged version of a 14 April 2006 CEHURDES press release:
CEHURDES condemns continued harassment, attacks against journalists, govenment’s threats against a leading private TV station, police intervention in peaceful assembly in Nepal
Kathmandu, April 14, 06 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) – a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group – condemns fresh arrests of journalists, lawyers, development workers and threats by the government against private media organizations in the country.
On Friday, police took into custody 13 journalists in the western hilly district of Baglung as they were exchanging greetings on the occasion of Nepali New Year 2063 B. S. (April 14). Those detained included Rajesh C. Bhandari, Himal Sharma, Ram Bahadur GC, Rajan Thapa, Prakat Kumar Shishir, Durga Dutta Acharya, Babulal Shakya, Bishnu Sharma, Gyanendra Gautam, Yogendra Milan Santhal, Prakash Poudel, Purna B. K. and Mahesh Poudel. No reason was given. They were released after two hours.
In a separate incident, security personnel manhandled and took into custody journalist Dipak Adhikari as he was sitting at his own residence in the central town of Hetauda. According to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), he has been denied access to primary medical care. Security personnel have also manhandled journalist Girija Adhikari, accusing him of informing the FNJ headquarters in Kathmandu regarding the arrest of journalist Dipak Adhikari.
On Thursday (April 13), police intervened in a peaceful rally being organized by the Nepal Bar Association in Kathmandu. Police intervened into the lawyers’ rally, opened fire and also used batons and tear gas to disperse the peaceful rally. Three lawyers received bullet injuries, over a dozen others were beaten up and nearly 70 lawyers were detained overnight. Media personnel covering the rally and human rights activists monitoring the event were also manhandled.
A leading private sector TV station, Kantipur TV (KTV), has reported that Minister of State for Information and Communications, Shrish Shumsher Rana, summoned private sector cable operators to his office and asked them not to carry KTV on their cables. He also alleged the KTV of highlighting the pro-democracy activists. The cable operators, however, refused to oblige him and said they will not obey Rana’s dictate unless the government issues orders in writing.
“Bimarsha”, a leading Nepali language weekly newspaper, has reported that a group of vigilante attacked its vehicle (with plate no. Ba 3 Cha 7305) last Sunday (16 April) during the curfew in Kathmandu. The weekly alleged that its vehicle was targeted for writing openly in favour of democracy, press freedom and peace in the country.
CEHURDES condemns all forms of attacks against media personnel and media property and demands that the government fulfil its responsibility to provide security to journalists and property of the media. We demand the immediate release of journalist Dipak Adhikari and an apology from the authorities regarding their mistreatment of journalist Girija Adhikari.
CEHURDES also condemns attacks and threats against private media organizations and news channels including Kantipur Television. Such acts only prove the allegations that the royal regime is determined to silence the independent, private media in Nepal.
CEHURDES also deplores the government’s restrictions on all types of peaceful assembly and use of excessive force, including opening fire, to disrupt them. Such activities are clearly against people’s right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression guaranteed by the country’s constitution and international treaties and conventions to which Nepal is a party.
We are greatly concerned at the increasing threats against media personnel and press freedom activists as the pro-democracy movement in the country intensifies. We also condemn harassment and manhandling of rights activists Shobhakar Budhathoki and Karon Cochran Budhathoki as they protested abuses by members of security force against common people at Buddha Nagar in Kathmandu earlier this week. Shobhakar was the founder and general secretary of CEHURDES.
CEHURDES is worried to see decreasing space for civil society and professional bodies in the country and growing intolerance of the state against media personnel, human rights activists and professionals. We must remind the government that repressive measures have never succeeded in saving any tyrannical regime.
We renew our appeal to the authorities to respect people’s fundamental rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, probe into incidents where such rights have been violated and punish the guilty.
