(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On the night of 31 July 2004, thieves looted the offices of the weekly “Bimarsha” in Ganabahal, Kathmandu, taking about half a million rupees (approx. US$6,600) in cash and equipment. The editor-in-chief of the weekly “Rajendra”, Kumar Baidya, said that the intruders stole 250,000 rupees in cash and property valued at another 250,000 […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On the night of 31 July 2004, thieves looted the offices of the weekly “Bimarsha” in Ganabahal, Kathmandu, taking about half a million rupees (approx. US$6,600) in cash and equipment. The editor-in-chief of the weekly “Rajendra”, Kumar Baidya, said that the intruders stole 250,000 rupees in cash and property valued at another 250,000 rupees, including two movie cameras, about 150 silver coins and a television set. The reason for the robbery remains unknown but Nepalese police sources say the incident appears suspicious.
In a separate incident, on 18 July, the assistant accountant of the District Development Committee, Jeevan Nath Chaudhary, threatened to kill journalist Narayan Shah for publishing a report critical of him in the local daily “Vishwa Jagaran”. Shah is vice-chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ Dhanusa Section.
CEHURDES condemns the looting of the newspaper’s offices and the death threats made against Shah. The organisation further calls on the individuals concerned to respect press freedom and freedom of expression.
