UN urges better protection for media after attack on Nepali publishing house
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 22 December 2008 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UN urges better protection for media after attack on Nepali publishing house, 22 December 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/496323c4c.html [accessed 21 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The United Nations has condemned yesterday's attack against staff at the Himal Media publishing house in Kathmandu as an assault on the freedom of expression, and urged authorities in Nepal to ensure a safe environment for media professionals to do their work.
Staff from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Nepal (OHCHR-Nepal) and investigators from the National Human Rights Commission have followed up on the incident, in which dozens of people entered the Himal Media office on Sunday looking for the author of a recently-published article.
They then physically assaulted a number of individuals, including Publisher Kunda Dixit and Chief Executive Officer Ashutosh Tiwari, in what is the latest in a series of attacks against the media in the South Asian nation.
"OHCHR-Nepal encourages the Nepal Police, which investigated Sunday's incident, to complete its investigation as swiftly as possible so charges can be laid," the office said in a news release.
"It also urges State authorities to take all steps necessary to ensure that the media has a secure environment in which to do its work," it added.
Previously, on 20 October, several people reportedly raided the office of the local Terai Times newspaper in Janakpur, where they assaulted staff and damaged and stole equipment.
That incident followed the publication of a news article suggesting that the Young Communist League (YCL) was providing protection for prostitution.
In another incident, a journalist from a daily newspaper in Nepalgunj informed OHCHR that he had been verbally abused and threatened on 21 October by a local government official of Banke district, following publication of an article that alleged financial irregularities linked to a local construction project.
