Police break up media protests on first anniversary of Nepal royal coup
New York, February 1, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the beating and arrest of journalists Wednesday in demonstrations to mark one year since King Gyanendra seized absolute power and restricted media freedoms in Nepal. Local journalists told CPJ police used water cannon and batons to break up a protest in the capital Kathmandu. At…
Nepal pursues media crackdown one year after royal coup
New York, January 31, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the ongoing harassment of journalists and assault on freedom of expression in Nepal one year after King Gyanendra seized absolute power. “In the past 12 months the authorities in Nepal have detained more than 275 journalists and stripped the independent press of many of…
Editor detained, harassment continues in Nepal
New York, January 23, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention on Sunday of Khem Bhandari, editor and publisher of the daily newspaper Abhiyan in the western city of Mahendranagar. The government gave no reason for Bhandari’s arrest. Shyam Shrestha, editor of the monthly magazine Mulyankan who was detained last Wednesday in Kathmandu, remained…
CPJ condemns government crackdown in Nepal
New York, January 19, 2006— The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the detention Thursday in Kathmandu of Shyam Shrestha, editor of the monthly news magazine Mulyankan, in a wave of arrests of opposition activists ahead of a planned pro-democracy rally. The Nepalese authorities arrested scores of activists, cut phone services and ordered a daylight curfew…
Supreme Court provisionally allows radio news back on the air
New York, November 30, 2005— The Committee to Protect Journalists applauds a decision today by Nepal’s Supreme Court to provisionally lift a government ban on the broadcasting of FM radio news. Independent radio stations such as Kantipur FM and Radio Sagarmatha resumed news bulletins after the interim ruling, local reporters said. “This is an important…
Supreme Court stays suspension of independent radio station
New York, November 29, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomed an interim ruling by Nepal’s Supreme Court today preventing the government from suspending Radio Sagarmatha. Police raided the independent Kathmandu-based station on Sunday to stop it from broadcasting a BBC interview with Maoist rebel leader Prachanda. The Court summoned government officials to a hearing on…
CPJ condemns raid on Radio Sagarmatha
New York, November 28, 2005—The Committee to Protect Journalists today condemned a police raid on Radio Sagarmatha moments before the independent station was to relay a rare BBC interview with the head of Nepal’s Maoist rebels. Police stormed the community FM station in the capital Kathmandu on Sunday evening, shut it down, confiscated equipment, and…
CPJ disturbed by court’s failure to check repression of the media
New York, November 11, 2005 —Nepal’s Supreme Court today rejected media petitions for the suspension of a draconian new law that bans FM radio news broadcasts and curbs critical newspaper coverage. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a final ruling on the constitutionality of the law, which the government issued in October, in the…