With anti-monarchy protests in Nepal being increasingly tackled with a heavy hand by the King Gyanendra regime, those covering the protest rallies across the country are also finding themselves at the receiving end. Seven journalists were injured on Saturday alone when they were beaten up by the police. All were covering the protest rallies.
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has expressed concern at the incidents of manhandling and arrests of journalists collecting news about democratic protests increasing each successive day. FNJ, in a statement in capital Kathmandu, urged the government to make sure that such incidents would not be repeated in the future.
Seven journalists were injured in Baglung Saturday, when they were covering the protest organised by the Seven Party Alliance (SPA) in the district headquarters. FNJ Baglung unit secretary Hari Naryan Gautam suffered a serious head injury. Five other journalists � Himal Sharma, Ram Bahadur GC, Ram Krishna Sharma, Khim Bahadur Karki and Yogendra Milan Satyal � were also injured.
In Chitwan the police beat up a journalist associated with local Synergy FM Suresh Regmi. He is currently undergoing treatment in a local hospital. Journalist Tej Prakash Pandit was indiscriminately beaten up by the police in the capital Saturday morning, when he was covering a protest rally organised by SPA.
Journalists are being harassed in other ways too. On Saturday night, the government refused to issue curfew passes to Kanipur Publications � publishers of the two popular dailies Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post.. This move has hampered the collection of news during curfew hours. The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Post were also denied curfew passes the same night on flimsy grounds.
Earlier on Saturday, Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) condemned the arrest of 59 journalists since April 5 during press freedom demonstrations that were obstructed by the police in Kathmandu and other towns. It called on home minister Kamal Thapa to release the journalists still in jail, stop reprisals against protesters, and keep his promises to defend press freedom. The minister had recently told the International Press Freedom Mission (of 15 international organisations, including RSF) that journalists would not be arrested or beaten up during demonstrations.
Thirteen journalists were arrested on April 5 in front of the International Convention Centre in Kathmandu while demonstrating with members of the Professional Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD), which had organised the peaceful protest against the government’s March 31 ban on demonstrations.
Among those detained were FNJ president Bishnu Nishturi, secretary-general Mahendra Bista and committee member Binod Pahari. The president of the South Asia Free Media Association (SAFMA), Gopal Thapaliya, was injured by police and taken to hospital. The others arrested were held at the Ward police station and then taken to the Bhrikutimandap Police Club.
A second demonstration was mounted by FNJ a few hours later during which 24 journalists, including FNJ vice-president Shiva Gaunle, treasurer Hemanta Kafle and Kanak Dixit, editor of Himal South Asia magazine, were arrested and held at Janasewa police station. The protesters shouted slogans against government censorship of the media. All 37 were freed later in the day, as well as the other 40 demonstrators.
Protests against the arrests occurred the next day in other towns, including Birgunj (Parsa district), where at least a dozen journalists were arrested. In the eastern town of Ilam, four were arrested while reporting on pro-democracy demonstrations by the country’s seven main political parties. They were freed several hours later.
Ten journalists were arrested in different parts of the country on April 7 during demonstrations or while they were reporting and have not yet been released. Madhav Basnet, correspondent for Dristi Weekly, was beaten up by the police in Kathmandu while covering pro-democracy meetings. Basnet was severely injured on his right leg and hand. The incident took place while Basnet was reporting on the democratic movement organised by SPA. According to Binod Pahadi, FNJ central committee member, Basnet was beaten by the police despite having shown them his identity card. Basnet was taken home after being attended to.
In another incident, unidentified individuals vandalised a vehicle belonging to the Himalayan Times at Barahisthan of Bhaktapur on April 6. The incident took place when the vehicle was en route to Surya Vinayak to drop home members of the newspaper's editorial department. The attackers hurled stones at the vehicle, shattering its windows; however, the driver and occupants escaped injury. Later, the same vehicle was attacked by another group of unidentified people at Tinkune, in Kathmandu.
