(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 1 May 2004, police officials under the command of Inspector Harihar Singh Gurung interrogated journalist Dinesh Acharya in Bidur, Nuwakot district, regarding a 30 April news report published in the local weekly “Trishuli Prawaha”. The police also searched Acharya’s residence before taking him into custody. They confiscated a Communist Party of Nepal […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 1 May 2004, police officials under the command of Inspector Harihar Singh Gurung interrogated journalist Dinesh Acharya in Bidur, Nuwakot district, regarding a 30 April news report published in the local weekly “Trishuli Prawaha”. The police also searched Acharya’s residence before taking him into custody. They confiscated a Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) press statement and publications by the Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES). Acharya was released after spending a few hours in detention. According to the journalist, the police asked about the confiscated press statement and his contacts with CPN-Maoist leaders.
In a separate 1 May incident, the police detained journalists Janma Dev Jaisi, Dhurba Raimajhi, Subash Pokhrel and Amrit Baniya for about five hours. The journalists were arrested on Kathmandu’s New Road while reporting on a protest organised by Nepal’s five main political parties. The same day, security forces also briefly detained journalist Om Dhungana, of “Diamond Time” magazine. Dhungana was arrested in Chabahil, Kathmandu.
In addition, on 30 April, a police officer physically assaulted journalist Punya Bhandari, of Radio Sagarmatha, a community radio station, in front of Kathmandu’s Royal Nepal Airlines (RNAC) building. Bhandari was also reporting on the demonstrations launched by the five main political parties. The police officer dragged the journalist on the ground and severely beaten him, even though Bhandari showed him his press identity card.
CEHURDES condemns the frequent detention of journalists. The organisation urges the security forces to respect basic norms of press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as the fundamental rights of citizens.
