(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES has condemned the arrest of journalist Chamina Bhattarai and the interrogation of another journalist, Jagdish Bhattarai, by the Nepalese authorities. On 29 January 2006, police took Ms. Chamina Bhattarai to the District Police Office (DPO) of Bara, saying that they wanted some information from her. At the DPO, she was handed a […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – CEHURDES has condemned the arrest of journalist Chamina Bhattarai and the interrogation of another journalist, Jagdish Bhattarai, by the Nepalese authorities.
On 29 January 2006, police took Ms. Chamina Bhattarai to the District Police Office (DPO) of Bara, saying that they wanted some information from her. At the DPO, she was handed a letter saying that she had been placed under preventive detention for a period of 90 days. Ms. Bhattarai is a Bara district correspondent for “Prateek” daily, published in the nearby industrial town of Birgunj. Her colleagues in Bara said they believed that she had been arrested in connection with her news reports, published in the newspaper with which she is affiliated.
On 30 January, plain-clothed security personnel took Jagdish Bhattarai, station manger of Sri Nagar FM radio station in the western district of Palpa, into custody from his residence and took him to the District Administration Office (DAO) of Palpa. At the DAO, Bhattarai was interrogated for over three hours in connection with a news item aired by the FM station. The local administrative officials asked him to apologise for airing the news item based on a Maoist statement regarding the forthcoming municipal elections slated for 8 February. When Bhattarai refused, they released him later in the day on condition that he report to the DAO on a daily basis.
On 28 January, security personnel had entered the news room of Sri Nagar FM radio station, took journalist Narayan Timilsina into custody and interrogated him for nearly two hours at the DAO. He was released later.
CEHURDES condemns the arrest of Ms. Chamina Bhattarai in Bara district and the harassment meted out to radio journalist Jagdish Bhattarai in Palpa district. CEHURDES believes that both of them have been targeted in connection with their professional activities and demands that the authorities immediately release Ms. Bhattarai. CEHURDES also calls upon the local authorities to withdraw the intimidating requirement for daily appearances before the DAO imposed on radio journalist Jagdish Bhattarai and not to intimidate other journalists affiliated to the FM station.
CEHURDES is concerned about the growing number of violations of press freedom and freedom of expression by the royal government and urges the authorities to abide by their constitutional obligations. CEHURDES also calls upon the international community to closely monitor the situation of press freedom and freedom of expression in the country and pressure the royal government to cease hostile activities against independent Nepali media immediately.
