Nepal

Though King Gyanendra, regarded as Nepal's worst suppressor of the media, was ousted from power last year, his role is now being taken over by Maoist guerrillas, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual report on media freedom worldwide. In its annual press freedom report published Thursday, RSF looked at the media situation last year in 98 countries, tabling the worst violations in...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the targeted attack by a section of protesters staging demonstrations in the eastern region of Terai in Nepal during the latter half of January 2007 (see IFEX alert of 26 and 22 January 2007). On 28 January, protesters in Birgunj city targeted media houses and reporters. According to the "Kantipur" daily newspaper, the protesters even went around the city...

(FNJ/IFEX) - Soldiers of the Maoist's People's Liberation Army (PLA) barred journalists from entering their Fourth Division headquarters at Jhyaldanda in Nawalparasi district while a seven-member United Nation Arms Management Team was inspecting the site on 16 January 2007. Camp commander Yam Bahadur Adhikari said, "We will provide information to the journalists but not allow them to enter the...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - Kathmandu, January 17, 2007 - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) - a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group - expresses its concerns over some provisions in the recently promulgated interim constitution that could undermine press freedom. While welcoming the promulgation of the interim constitution as another key step in the current...

(FNJ/IFEX) - Newspapers at Nepalgunj, Banke, west of Nepal, have stopped publishing since 26 December 2006, following attacks on journalists who were reporting on the Terai Bandh (strike). The strike was called on 25 December by the Nepal Sadbhawana Party-Anandadevi (NSP-A) to express dissatisfaction over the recently signed interim Constitution for allegedly failing to meet the demands of the...

New York, January 3, 2007— The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on the Nepalese government to investigate attacks on journalists in the western town of Nepalgunj which prompted nine newspapers to suspend publication from December 26 to 30. The attacks came amid sectarian violence that killed one person and injured dozens. “We are concerned that journalists were a specific target of...

(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) - ARTICLE 19 today released an analysis of Nepal's Right to Information Bill - 2063 (2006). Although the Bill includes some very positive features, there are a number of shortcomings, including the seriously overbroad regime of exceptions, Law/Asia Programmes Director Toby Mendel said: "Nepal now has an historic opportunity to put in place a truly democratic framework for freedom...

(FNJ/IFEX) - A group of people padlocked the newspaper office of the Morang-based newspaper "Mofussil Weekly" on 15 September 2006. It was padlocked in response to the newspaper having published a report that said a Maoist cadre, Bhim Tamang, had tried to sexually assault a minor girl. FNJ Morang reports that, according to "Mofussil Weekly" editor Narendra Rai, Nabaraj Tumba, from the Maoist...

Kathmandu, Sep 16 (IANS) Three years after a fierce opposition to alleged Indian investment in the media, Nepal's new government is now thinking of liberalising this sector, including allowing up to 49 percent foreign direct investment. After the fall in April of King Gyanendra's regime that had imposed harsh restrictions on the media, the new seven-party alliance (SPA) that came to power on the...

Kathmandu - A visiting international press freedom group advised Nepal's new government Thursday to make changes to preserve and strengthen press freedom in the country that emerged in April from direct rule by King Gyanendra. The group - headed by Christopher Warren, president of the International Federation of Journalists - gave a five-point recommendation to the ruling Seven-Party Alliance...