Forgot your password?
Assault on the Press
By KTM Metro Reporter in Kathmandu
On Sunday, December 21, 2008, a group of about 50 people identified as the pro-Maoists stormed in the office of ‘Himalmedia’ House that publishes fortnightly magazine ‘Himal Khabarpatrika’, weekly ‘Nepali Times’, monthly ‘Wave’ and ‘Himal South Asian’, vandalized the office equipment and attacked and injured the staffs working at Hatiban in Lalitpur. The injured staffs included editor and publisher of ‘Nepali Times’ Kunda Dixit and CEO of ‘Himalmedia’ Ashutosh Tiwari. Recently, ‘Himal Khabarpatrika’ published articles on the anarchic deeds of Maoist–affiliated labor unions.
Various media rights groups, Federation of Nepalese Journalists, members of Nepal Bar Association, members of human rights organizations, political parties and lawmakers denounced the assault on the ‘Himalmedia’. The Office of the High Commission for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) said that the assault was on the freedom of expression.
On Monday, December 22, 2008, talking to the Civil Society representatives and rights activists that went to the official residence of the Prime Minister to protest the assault on the media, Prime Minster Prachanda showed his deep concern over the attack on ‘Himalmedia’ and assured them of probing into the incident and bringing the guilty to justice.
On December 22, 2008, speaking at the inauguration program on the third national conference of South Asian Free Journalists Association held in Jiri of the Dolakha district, Prime Minister Prachanda said that the political achievement would not be institutionalized if the press freedom were denied. Referring to the assault on the ‘Himalmedia’ he said that he has already directed Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam and Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara to hold investigation into the incident and bring the guilty to justice.
On December 22, 2008, adding fuel to the fire, the Nepali Police made a baton charge on the group of media persons protesting the assault on ‘Himalmedia’ and heading to the rally-prohibited area at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu injuring a dozen of them.
On December 23, 2008, a group of media persons supported by members of various organizations held a rally at the South gate of the Central Secretariat of the government in Kathmandu protesting the assault on the ‘Himalmedia’ and demanding the strong actions against the culprits.
On December 23, 2008, cadres of the Youth Force affiliated to the CPN-UML burned down about 2,500 copies of a newspaper called Ankush in Birjgunj Southern Nepal charging the newspaper of implicating the CPN-UML indiscriminately in the Sunday issue of the Ankush in the statement of monetary transaction defaming the CPN-UML, the Kantipuronline.com reported.
