JANUARY 17, 2008
Posted February 15, 2008
Manoj Sah, Freelance
ATTACKED
Sah was attacked by a group of at least 10 men wielding traditional Nepalese khukuri blades on January 17 in the city of Janakpur, eastern Nepal, according to local journalist Guna Raj Luitel and Ramesh Bista of the Federation of Nepali Journalists. Sah sustained serious injuries to the head and wrists and was transferred from the local hospital to Kathmandu where he underwent surgery, local news reports said.
Luitel, who spoke with journalists in the region, confirmed that the reporter would recover full use of both his hands, despite initial reports which indicated the damage to be more severe.
Sah is a member of the Maoist-affiliated Revolutionary Journalists Association and contributed articles to several local publications. He had received threats before the attack related to articles he had written accusing a Hindu temple of misusing funds in the local daily Bishwojagaran, and had lodged a police complaint against the temple’s priest in response to the threat, the Federation of Nepali Journalists reported.
The priest denies involvement, according to Luitel. The Federation condemned police inaction over the case in a field report published on January 27, according to the online news site eKantipur.