Nepal
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1
Aug
2017
Various journalists
Tilak Adhikari, editor of Janata Jindabad weekly, was arrested from his residence in Makwanpur district on May 11 and Thakur Prasad Timalsina and Gambhir Pathak, FNJ members in Kathmandu district, were arrested on May 10. In Parbat district, journalist Gopal GC of Nabadristi Online was arrested on May 4 and Pustaman Gharti was arrested on May 8 in Rolpa district. Hari Bishnu Oli, editor of Sikhchya Sanjal weekly, was arrested on May 2 in Rukum district. Photojournalist Ajay Desar was attacked by unidentified people on April 24 in Nakhipot, Lalitpur and his camera was damaged. Police is yet to initiate investigation in the case. In Nuwakot district, journalist Dev Chandra Bhatta was harassed by patrolling police for taking photographs. Similarly, Anjaan Dahal of online portal Filmykhabar was threatened over news by an unidentified person on May 6. The caller expressed dissatisfaction over news written by Dahal and threatened him with action if the news was not removed. In another incident, Shivahari Ghimire of Nagarik daily, received a threat on May 6 over news of illegal deforestation. The president of the Saraswati Community Forest Conservation Committee and an official at the District Forest Office in Lalitpur threatened Ghimire over the phone.
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31
Jul
2017
Kabir Rana
The Election Commission issued a circular directing the Press Council of Nepal (PCN) to produce a newspaper editor over critical news. The EC on July 31 wrote to PCN ‘to present the chief editor of the Deshantar weekly before the EC within three days’ for clarification on two news items that the constitutional body claimed to be ‘false’ and ‘baseless’. The news items in question were published on July 23 and 30 accusing the EC of financial misconduct. The EC also directed PCN to take action against the Chief Editor Kabir Rana.
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20
Jul
2017
Chakka Bahadur Malla
Chakka Bahadur Malla, district correspondent for Image Channel TV, was arrested and was taken into custody by the police. He was in the process of registering a case with the police after he was attacked along with four municipal officials of the Budinanda Municipality on July 13. A gang attacked them near the district headquarters. Malla had received injuries and was recovering when he was arrested after a police complaint was registered against him.