(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a CEHURDES press release: CEHURDES condemns abduction of a journo by Maoists Kathmandu, Nov. 23 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based press freedom monitoring group, condemns the abduction and manhandling of journalist Chandra Mani Kattel by Maoist rebels. On Tuesday (Nov. 22), Communist Party […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The following is a CEHURDES press release:
CEHURDES condemns abduction of a journo by Maoists
Kathmandu, Nov. 23 – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based press freedom monitoring group, condemns the abduction and manhandling of journalist Chandra Mani Kattel by Maoist rebels.
On Tuesday (Nov. 22), Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) rebels took Kattel into their custody for nearly three hours because he entered areas that they claim is under their control without their permission.
Kattel is a Biratnagar-based reporter of the ‘Blast Times’ daily, published in the eastern town of Dharan.
Kattel was taken into custody in Durgapuri, Morang district, some 50 km east of Biratnagar.
According to Kattel, the rebels manhandled him and seized his mobile telephone before taking him into custody. They locked him up in an empty house for a few hours and freed him the same night after warning him “not to enter into their area without prior permission.”
The rebels returned the mobile telephone to Kattel later.
The incident took place the same day that Maoist chairman Prachanda made public his party’s commitment to respect human rights and press freedom.
CEHURDES renews its call to the CPN (Maoist) rebels not to target journalists under any pretext and to fulfill their commitment to fully respect press freedom.
CEHURDES also asks the Maoist leadership to instruct its rank and file of its commitment to human rights, including press freedom and freedom of expression.
