6 July 1998
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply
troubled by reports that your government's recent
crackdown on Maoist rebels is not confined to military
action against armed elements of the opposition, but has
expanded to include censorship and harassment of the
Nepalese press. CPJ is further disturbed by reports that
journalists' access to the government ministries housed
in Singh Durbar has been severely curtailed, and that
admission to Parliament has been reserved for a select
number of credentialed reporters.
According to information released by Reporters sans
Frontières (RSF) in Paris, police in Kathmandu on
2 July instructed transport firms not to deliver
newspapers containing articles on the government's
operations against Maoist rebels. Police also burned
copies of offending papers that had already been loaded
onto trucks and buses. Since 9 June, local police in
districts where there has been some support for the
Maoist movement have been confiscating newspapers in
order to block the distribution of any information
regarding rebel activities. The news daily Ajko
Samacharpatra and weeklies Jadanesh, Janaahwan, Yojana,
Jana Ekta, and Jana Bhawana all published in
Kathmandu&emdash;have been seized by police in
Sindhulimadhi. Similar seizures have been reported in
Gorkha, Sindhuli, Rukum, Salyan, Tanahun, Dhading, and
Jajarkot.
The People's Review, a political and business weekly
published in Kathmandu, reports that journalists in Nepal
are currently facing harassment and violent intimidation
by both government forces and Maoist insurgents. In one
particularly disturbing case in early April, journalist
Kishore Shrestha was arrested and taken to military
headquarters, where he was pressured to disclose the
source for his article in the weekly Jana Aastha entitled
"Confidential document of military in Maoists' hand."
There is widespread suspicion in Nepal that, far from
being isolated incidents, these actions have been
directed by the Home Ministry as part of a strategy to
contain the rebel movement. CPJ understands that Home
Minister Govind Raj Joshi has denied any knowledge of the
crackdown, yet the mere perception of governmental
sponsorship or sanctioning of such activities contributes
to a climate of fear that threatens free speech. These
charges must therefore be met with decisive and public
official action to investigate the attacks and punish the
attackers.
Your government has repeatedly voiced its respect for
a free press, understanding that independent journalism
played a significant role in helping to establish
democracy in Nepal. CPJ asks that you recognize that
print journalism in Nepal is an inherently difficult
business, faced with the daunting challenges of
distributing papers across extraordinarily rough terrain
and building circulation among a public where high rates
of poverty and illiteracy still prevail. The economic
strains on the press have been compounded by last year's
decision to levy a tax on all foreign newsprint. The
publishing industry in Nepal depends on imported paper,
and this additional cost of doing business has introduced
undue pressure on an already vulnerable industry.
As a non-partisan organization of journalists
committed to defending press freedom worldwide, CPJ urges
your government to support the growth of a vibrant press
by respecting the right of all journalists to publish and
distribute information, regardless of its political
content. We respectfully request that your government
investigate and order an end to the recent police actions
against the press, lift restrictions on journalists'
access to government offices, and repeal the crippling
tax that has been placed on foreign newsprint.
Thank you for your attention. We await your
response.
Yours Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director