(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 11 September 2003, police officers broke up a rally of journalists on Exhibition Road in Kathmandu and dispersed 200 journalists. Journalist organisations had planned to protest the brutal killing of Gyanendra Khadka, a reporter with the state-run National News Agency (RSS), on 7 September. Khadka was murdered by Communist Party of Nepal […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 11 September 2003, police officers broke up a rally of journalists on Exhibition Road in Kathmandu and dispersed 200 journalists. Journalist organisations had planned to protest the brutal killing of Gyanendra Khadka, a reporter with the state-run National News Agency (RSS), on 7 September. Khadka was murdered by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels in Sindhupalchowk district.
Two journalists were injured by police batons at the rally. The police also arrested 30 journalists, including members of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), on the charge of breaking the government’s prohibition order, which was imposed on 2 September. They were detained at the Anamnagar police station and Mahendra Police Club and released a short time later.
The protest rally was organised by journalists following the murder of Khadka and arrest of journalist Shubha Shankar Kandel by the security forces on 9 September. The police also arrested hundreds of politicians last week for violating the government ban on demonstrations.
CEHURDES condemns the arrests and calls on the government to stop all forms of intervention against peaceful rallies. The organisation further urges the authorities to protect the fundamental rights of citizens and respect the minimum norms of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
The security forces and CPN-Maoists have been involved in the killing of nine journalists in the country since the start of the rebel insurgency in 1996.
