UNESCO chief condemns murder of Nepalese journalist
| Publisher | UN News Service |
| Publication Date | 12 February 2008 |
| Cite as | UN News Service, UNESCO chief condemns murder of Nepalese journalist, 12 February 2008, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47b2f5861a.html [accessed 25 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 57-year old publisher of two local weeklies was shot in the back on the evening of 12 January while with his brother in a town near Birgunj on the border with India. A man who said he was the local representative of the Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha militia claimed responsibility for the murder, saying Mr. Shrestha was killed because he was a “pahadi” journalist, meaning from the hill region and not the southern plains population.
“I condemn the murder of Pushkar Bahadur Shrestha,” Koïchiro Matsuura said in a statement. “Through him, the murderers were obviously standing against freedom of expression but also against an ethnic group they are in conflict with.”
The head of the Paris-based agency said the targeting of journalists “must cease in order for Nepal to reach, at long last, democracy and the rule of law.”
According to IFEX, violence against journalists increased drastically in 2007 in areas where armed groups claiming to defend the Madhesi, the people of the south, have launched protest movements. Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha has been involved in dozens of cases of threats and violence since its creation in August 2006.
