(CEHURDES/IFEX) – Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists) rebels have taken journalist Shakti Kumar Pun hostage in Rukum, a western district of Nepal. In its 24 November 2004 edition, the daily “Nepal Samacharpatra” reported that the rebels took Pun into custody for a 35-day period, along with six other people, including schoolteacher Lal Bahadur Gharti. They […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoists) rebels have taken journalist Shakti Kumar Pun hostage in Rukum, a western district of Nepal. In its 24 November 2004 edition, the daily “Nepal Samacharpatra” reported that the rebels took Pun into custody for a 35-day period, along with six other people, including schoolteacher Lal Bahadur Gharti. They were reportedly taken hostage for having assisted security forces in the arrest of five CPN-Maoist rebels from the district’s Rugha Village Development Committee.
In a separate incident, on 22 November, residents of Bidur municipality verbally abused journalists Devchandra Bhatta, Dhruba Kumar Rawal and Rajmitra Khanal and threatened them with death for having published news reports about financial misconduct by Girindra Raj Ghimire, the municipality’s executive officer. Bhatta is a district correspondent for “Nepal Samacharpatra” and secretary of Press Chautari Nepal. Rawal and Khanal hold secretary and membership positions, respectively, with the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ (FNJ) Nuwakot section.
In another development, on 21 November, security forces harassed journalist Pashupati Ghimire in Surdukhola, Sunsari district, eastern Nepal, while he was travelling from Barahachhetra to Dharan after dropping off medicine for an ill colleague, Govinda Bikal. Ghimire was ordered off a bus in Surdukhola and forced to walk through the forest for two hours.
Finally, security forces have released human rights activist Hira Lal Khadka, who spent three and a half months in detention in Rukum district. Khadka is district president of the Human Rights and Peace Society (HURPES), a non-governmental organisation.
CEHURDES condemns all attacks against journalists and free expression activists. The organisation urges the concerned parties to respect press freedom and freedom of expression, as well as citizens’ civil liberties.
