(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns the threat against journalist Binod Tripathi by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) – Maoist rebels. Maoist cadres threatened Tripathi over a news report published in “Kantipur”, a leading private-sector daily, on 11 June 2006, which said […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns the threat against journalist Binod Tripathi by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) – Maoist rebels.
Maoist cadres threatened Tripathi over a news report published in “Kantipur”, a leading private-sector daily, on 11 June 2006, which said the rebels had set a target of raising 50 million rupees (approx. US$ 700,000) in the form of “tax” from Chitwan district.
In response to the news report, the district secretary of the CPN (Maoist) in Chitwan, Comrade Abinash, called Tripathi by cell phone and threatened him. The “Kathmandu Post”, a sister publication of the “Kantipur daily”, quoted Abinash as telling Tripathi that, “You do not know how to report news about an armed political force. Come back to Chitwan and we’ll teach you how to do it.” Tripathi is currently in Kathmandu.
Abinash asked Tripathi to reveal the source of his news. When the latter declined, he accused the journalist of being an accomplice of regressive forces, according to “The Kathmandu Post” daily.
CEHURDES condemns the threat against Tripathi by the Maoist rebels. By reporting on the Maoist plan, Tripathi brought to light a violation of the ceasefire code of conduct signed by Nepal’s government and CPN (Maoist) in May. Instead of correcting their mistake, it is deeply worrying that the Maoists have resorted to threatening the journalist.
CEHURDES calls upon the Maoist leadership to conduct an investigation into the incident, ensure that Tripathi is allowed to return home and resume his professional work, and not repeat such incidents in the future.
