Nepal Crisis

Protesting the Detention and Interrogation of Journalists and Suspicious Raid of the Residence of Leader Acharya

Press Statement

May 19, 2005, Kathmandu

We protest the decision of local administration for three-months detention of the Samaya weekly reporter Dev Kumar Subedi for publishing news report regarding the protest of seven students organizations in Surkhet district on May 14; the interrogation of the District Administration Office, Lalitpur against senior journalist and publisher Kanak Mani Dixit on May 18 based on his article published seven-weeks ago in Himal magazine; and the formal accusation of the security forces against journalist Phaninadra Silwal for supporting Communist Party of Nepal, Maoists based on visual news report provided to Nepal- 1 TV Channel in November 2004 about the encounter between the security forces and the rebels.

Similarly, we condemn the suspicious raid of the residence of the Nepali Congress central committee member Narahari Acharya in the middle of night of May 16, 2005 in the absence of his any family members, who have taken into control by the state immediate after the assumption of all executive powers by the King Gyanendra. This vicious act proves a complete absence of rule of law in the country. We are convinced that these acts completely interfere the legitimate activities of Acharya and aims to discourage his family members and that proves from the culprits use of his office equipments such as fax, computer, photocopy and found open his computer files, even though it was published in media as 'theft" news.

We believe that these deliberate acts of the state undermine fundamental norms and principles of democracy, even after the expiry of "state of emergency" that continue restricts civil and democratic rights of the people; carries arrest of political leaders and their cadres; extends detention of political detainees without justifiable reason; carries the re-arrest of detainees immediate after the release from the Supreme Court order; dismantles political entities and constitutional bodies in the name of eliminating corruption, and places restriction on free and fair news report and independent human rights monitoring. We strongly demand with the state to abide the norms of rule of law; release all political prisoners; and stop illegal and irresponsible acts by respecting provisions of human rights and humanitarian laws.

On behalf of 25 human rights organizations,

Subodh Raj Pyakurel
Dr. Gopal Krishna Siwakoti
Shobhakar Budhathoki