A newspaper editor was assaulted and another was threatened by Maoist activists annoyed by critical coverage, in separate incidents in Kailali, in far western Nepal, according to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ).
In the first incident, Hemanta Paudel, editor of the Kailali-based newspaper Sudur Sandesh Daily, was threatened by the Maoist party-affiliated Young Communist League (YCL) on May 27.
In a press release, the FNJ's Kailali chapter said that the Maoist representative in the town of Kailali, Tikaram Sapkota, along with three or four cadres, entered Paudel's office and threatened him regarding a story published on May 23 and the editorial of May 25. The news article was about a Maoist accepting a gift from a smuggler; the editorial was about the Maoists' illegal activities at Kailali. The YCL warned him not to publish such kinds of news in future.
FNJ denounced the incident and asked Maoists to exercise their right to have the newspaper publish their response to coverage they consider inaccurate, rather than attempt to limit coverage by threatening newspaper staff members.
In the second incident, on May 28 Lucky Chaudhari, editor and publisher of the Kailali-based Hamar Pahura daily, was also attacked by YCL.
The FNJ Kailali chapter said that Maoist cadres assaulted Chaudhari over the news published about YCL's illegal activities in the district. Chaudhari sustained minor injuries in the attack. FNJ denounced this incident as well, noting that journalists are obliged to tell the truth to the public and asking YCL to also exercise their right of reply, rather than resorting to assaulting newspaper staff.
