Journalists
threatened
FNJ
organizes sit-in protest
The five journalists were attacked by Madhesi Janatantrik Forum (MJF) cadres while they were reporting news on peace rally. The MJF cadres rounded them and beat them up with stick. Two of the journalists were seriously injured. The federation held a sit in protest demanding to stop the attacks on press, safety and security of journalists and media institutions and to guarantee complete press freedom. During the protest program, FNJ secretary General Mahendra Bista expressed serious concern over the attacks and threats to journalists in terai region. He said, the revolutionary parties should take the responsibility of all the attacks and should immediately stop the planned attacks on journalists. He also informed that 16 media persons and five media houses have been attacked, 16 have been threatened and harassed, 15 have been displaced from their working area, 34 newspapers have stalled their publication and 12 vehicles belonging to media<br>institutions and media houses have been vandalized. FNJ past presidents, media persons, civil society representatives and human rights activists participated in an hour long protest program. Nepalgunj, Butwal, Pokhara, Chitwan, Jhapa and Itahari chapters of the federation also held protest programs separately . Violence against press continues in riot-torn south Reporters Without Borders today reiterated its deep concern about journalists in southern Nepal, where intercommunal rioting continues. Journalists have been forced to flee their towns, some media have temporarily stopped publishing, and press personnel have been attacked. Media workers have reacted with terror to the appearance of posters in public squares in the southern city of Birgunj with lists of "wanted" journalists for whose capture rewards are offered. The posters have prompted 11 journalists to flee the districts of Parsa, Bara and Rautat in fear of their lives. The journalists who have been forced to flee their place of work are Govinda Devkota of Nepal Samacharpatra and Nepal FM 91.8, Kantipur reporters Sujeet Mahat, Shiva Puri and Shankar Aacharya, Sudeep Aryal of the Annapurna Post, Pawan Yadav of Radio Birgunj, Bipin Gautam of Radio Narayani, Ashok Pahadi of the Prateek Daily, Phani Mahat of Nepal Samacharpatra and freelancers Narayan Devkota and Sanjaya Karki. Demonstrators damaged the motorcycle of radio Nepal FM 91.8 reporter Bikram Luitel on 30 January. Rioters attacked three journalists on the street in the southern district of Morang on 29 January. The same day, police beat a photographer working for local newspaper Satya Sandesh as he was taking pictures of the rioting. Newspapers and magazines in Birgunj jointly decided to stop publishing from 29 January until today in protest against the orchestrated violence against the press. The press also disappeared from news stands in Bara district for two days. The Federation of Nepalese Journalists, whose president, Bishnu Nisthuri, visited Birgunj, has asked the government to quickly provide protection for journalists and to arrest those responsible for the attacks. Police have arrested former monarchist ministers suspected of instigating rioting by members of the Madeshi ethnic group. According to Gobinda Ghimre, president of FNJ Sunsari chapter, the journalists were threatened during an interactive program organised by the Itahari Area Police Office. The session was held to discuss an article entitled "Numbers of sex workers in Itahari increasing", published by "Itahari Weekly". During the program, Ritesh Shrestha of the YCL labeled media persons as corrupt and said he would kill all of them. Journalists Shaligram Pandey, Amar Khadka, Suman Giri, Shekhar Adhikari, Arjun Sharma and Santosh Yadhav were among those labeled corrupt by Shrestha and were threatened to be killed. Various leaders of eight political parties, civil society representatives, hotel entrepreneurs and journalists were present at the session. FNJ condemns the act and has urged the responsible parties to take action against Shrestha. The federation also urges the concerned parties to resolve their problems through discussion or by legal means if they are dissatisfied with news coverage rather than issuing threats to journalists. FNJ also urges the party to respect press freedom and freedom of expression.
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