(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 26 January 2004, the security forces released journalist Balbhadra Bharati after having held him for two days in Surkhet district. Bharati is a correspondent for the Kathmandu-based weekly “Jana Ekta”. He is also an adviser for the Progressive Writers’ Association. He was arrested on 24 January at his Surkhet residence, immediately after […]
(CEHURDES/IFEX) – On 26 January 2004, the security forces released journalist Balbhadra Bharati after having held him for two days in Surkhet district. Bharati is a correspondent for the Kathmandu-based weekly “Jana Ekta”. He is also an adviser for the Progressive Writers’ Association. He was arrested on 24 January at his Surkhet residence, immediately after having returned from Kathmandu.
In a separate incident on 23 January, the security forces assaulted journalist Rajesh Pidi Barma while he was on his way to school in Siraha district. He was threatened and told not to speak out against the security forces. Barma is a correspondent for the Kathmandu-based daily “The Himalayan Times” and is also the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ (FNJ) Siraha section secretary.
Similarly, on 24 January, the security forces assaulted journalist Laba Dhungana in Phidim Bazar, Panchthar district. Dhungana is a news reporter for the daily “Rajdhani” and is also associated with the FNJ’s Panchtar section.
Finally, on 25 December 2003, Communist Party of Nepal (CPN-Maoist) rebels threatened Dambar Thapa, a correspondent for the daily “Kakrebihar” in Dolakha district, telling him to leave the district’s headquarters. According to reports, the rebels had taken over his land and ancestral home, which are located within the area of the Uma Gaun of Laliguras Village Development Committee.
CEHURDES condemns the actions by the security forces and CPN-Maoist rebels against journalists. The organisation urges the rebel leaders to ensure the safety of journalists and refrain from physically harming them. The organisation also calls upon the security forces to respect basic standards of press freedom and freedom of expression, allowing journalists and free expression activists to carry out their work.
