Army soldiers arrested Baral, an editor at Swaviman weekly, in Pokhara, the capital of Kaski District. Swaviman, which is published from Pokhara, was a small newspaper characterized by local journalists as supportive of the Maoist rebel movement. Several days after Baral’s arrest, on December 27, soldiers arrested Biyogi, subeditor of Swaviman.
Authorities arrested the two under the provisions of a sweeping anti-terrorism ordinance introduced in November 2001 that criminalized any contact with or support for Maoist rebels. Both men were originally held in army custody in Kaski, then transferred to a jail in neighboring Tanahu District, and ultimately imprisoned at Kaski Jail.