New York June 28, 2002—The Committee to Protect Journalists sent
a letter of inquiry today to Nepalese prime minister Sher Bahadur
Deuba urgently requesting information about the status of Krishna
Sen, editor of the daily Janadisha and former editor of Janadesh,
both publications considered supportive of the banned Maoist rebel
movement.
The government has failed to comment on widely circulated media reports
that Sen, who was arrested on May 20, may have been killed while in
custody. The government had accused Sen of being among the senior
leaders of the Maoist movement and of commanding rebel operations
in Kathmandu but has not presented its case against him in court.
Since the government declared a state of emergency on November 26,
2001, in response to intensified fighting by the country's Maoist
rebels, press freedom guarantees have been suspended and more than
100 journalists have been detained.
During a recent visit to Nepal, CPJ representatives met with Prime
Minister Deuba and raised several cases of journalists arrested and
tortured in custody. CPJ emphasized that in all cases, including those
in which journalists are accused of direct involvement in rebel activities,
authorities should present charges before an open court, grant due
process rights, and never use torture.
The prime minister pledged to look into cases where abuses have occurred
and said that, "We have instructed the army and the police not to
violate human rights."
CPJ is also worried about the security of Kishor Shrestha, editor
of Jana Aastha. Since his newspaper first reported Sen's alleged
killing, Shrestha has feared arrest, according to colleagues. Newspaper
employees confirmed that a man who was patrolling the area in front
of their offices today was a plainclothes police officer.
In the letter to Prime Minister Deuba, CPJ executive director Ann
Cooper wrote, "We call on you to make public the whereabouts of Krishna
Sen, and we also urge you to do everything within your power to ensure
that Shrestha and all other Nepalese journalists do not face harassment
for fulfilling their professional duties."
