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Saving The Alleged Murders Of A Journalist In Nepal
By KTM Metro Reporter
January 10, 2013: Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Dailekh Chapter along with locals has enforced indefinite shutdown in the district headquarters since today morning protesting against the Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai’s “order to halt interrogation of arrested Maoist cadres.” Protesters have vandalized a government vehicle this afternoon. However, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai yesterday denied the media reports that his directive halted the interrogation of the alleged five murderers of journalist Dekendra Thapa, according to THT ONLINE news of today.
The Dailekh District Court today ruled to keep the allegedly murders of the journalist Dekendra Thapa under the judicial custody for seven more days for investigation. Police on January 6, had arrested CPN-Maoist Bheri Karnali State committee member Jay Bahadur Shahi, Harilal Pun Magar, Nirak Ghartimagar, Lakshiram Gharti and UCPN-Maoist cadre Bir Bahadur KC on the charge of murdering Thapa in 2004, according to the THT ONLINE news of today.
Human Rights activists and journalists staged a sit-in at the south gate of the Singha Durbar (State Secretariat) in Kathmandu today morning protesting the Prime Minister’s statement of the arrest of five Maoist cadres allegedly killing journalist Dekendra Thapa of Dailekh during the insurgency was an attempt on derailing the peace process.
The Rastriya Jana Morcha party held a protest rally at New Baneshwor in Kathmandu today to condemn the Prime Minister's statement that the ongoing interrogation of those arrested in connection with the journalist's murder could affect the peace process, and urged the government not to protect the murderers of journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa. Addressing the protest rally, Chairman Chitra Bahadur KC said, "Prime Minister's order to the authorities in Dailekh to halt the ongoing investigation was intended to protect the criminals and keep the crime under wraps. It is really deplorable act," according to the RSS news posted on thehimalayantimes.com today.
The Nepal Press Union (NPU) held a protest march in Kathmandu today calling for actions against the accused in the killing of Dailekh-based journalist Dekendra Thapa. The protestors marched from the office of the NPU to the south gate to Singha Durbar (State Secretariat) and turned into a protest rally. The participants of the rally carried placards and shouted slogans calling for taking actions against the murderers, ending impunity and guaranteeing the security of journalists, according to the RSS news posted on thehimalayantimes.com of today.
In a press statement released today, the United Nations (UN) has said that it has decided to include Nepal in the group of countries where its plan of action on the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity will be implemented. The UN also has called for making efforts on protecting journalists in Nepal, and ensuring their safety referring to the controversial murder of Dailekh’s journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa, according to the THT ONLINE news of today.
Police Inspector Binod Sharma said that the investigation process has been initiated in an impartial manner in Dailekh, and has not receive any kind of pressure whatsoever; and asked the court for keeping the allegedly murders in custody for another seven days, and he got the extension; the five accused have been kept at the District Police Office, Dailekh since the last six days in connection with investigation, according to the RSS news posted on thehimalayantimes.com today.
The civil society, journalists and the different political parties including the NC, the CPN-UML, the Rastriya Janamorcha, Nepal Workers and Peasants Party, the Rsatriya Janashakti Party among others based in the district have been holding demonstrations in the district calling for impartial investigation into the killing of journalist Dekendra Thapa, according to the RSS news posted on thehimalayantimes.com today.
CPN-UML yesterday condemned Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai for his alleged attempts to block judicial investigation into the murder of Dailekh-based journalist, Dekendra Thapa, by the Maoist cadres on August 11, 2004. The prime minister attempted to prevent the police officials from taking the statements of the accused about the murder even though those arrested had admitted that they first tortured journalist Dekendra Thapa for two days in a row before burying him alive in a pit, according to ‘HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE’ news of yesterday.
The emerging horrific details of the circumstances of Dekendra Raj Thapa’s death in the Dailekh District in 2004 are a stark reminder of the importance of ensuring the safety of journalists in Nepal, the United Nations said today in a statement. In a statement, the UN said that the past and present assaults on the media professionals and the failure to bring the culprits to justice, “ultimately obstructs the achievement of a sustainable peace and the rule of law in Nepal”. “The enjoyment of the right of freedom of expression and the respect for freedom of the press are pre-requisites for a successful transition to peace. Journalists play a crucial role in providing information that is vital for citizens to engage in their democracy. And journalists are symbols of the right to speak freely,” the statement added, and expressed concern over a number of journalists working on the Thapa case facing threats, according to the nepalnews.com.
The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has decided to form a high-level team to monitor any irregularities in the prosecution of the alleged murderers of journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa, and the increasing feeling of insecurity among the journalists in Dailekh, state-owned news agency RSS reported. An emergency meeting of the central executive committee of the FNJ in Kathmandu yesterday also demanded that the government constitute a high-level judicial commission to investigate the murders of journalists right from Krishnasen Icchuk to Yadav Poudel, according to nepalnews.com news of today.
