FREE-EXPRESSION SPOTLIGHT 1. NEPAL: JOURNALISTS TARGETED IN INFORMATION CLAMPDOWN
While Internet and telephone connections in Nepal have been restored following a state of emergency declared by King Gyanendra on 1 February 2005, authorities are continuing to censor media outlets and arrest dissidents, report the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans fronti�res, RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). After suspending constitutional rights to freedom of expression and freedom of the press, the King has ordered a six-month ban on the publication of any information deemed critical of authorities. He has also issued a new series of directives under which those who ignore the ban on negative reporting face imprisonment or house arrest. The military has also been given the authority to monitor and ban any communications as part of the state of emergency. Local FM re-transmission of the BBC World Service's Nepalese-language radio programmes has been banned, although the BBC's English-language broadcasts are permitted. The privately-owned TV station Nepal One remains banned and its studios are being watched by the military. Indian cable and satellite TV stations are still unavailable. Most of the independent weeklies in Kathmandu have been closed. In rural areas like Butwal, army officers have asked journalists to publish news "honouring the spirit of the royal proclamation." Leaders of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) have been arrested or are in hiding. General Secretary Bishnu Nisthuri is being detained in an undisclosed location, while President Tara Nath Dahal has gone underground. They are among dozens of individuals who have been targeted for publicly criticised the state of emergency. The FNJ has condemned the state of emergency, calling it a "coup that has destroyed the fabric of democracy" (see: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?index=2943&Language=EN). On 8 February, nine UN human rights experts, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, added their voices to international protests against the state of emergency. They called for the full restoration of democracy and the rule of law, echoing previous statements by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour. For more information, see: - CPJ: http://www.cpj.org/news/2005/Nepal04feb05na.html - RSF: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12502 - Human Rights Watch Backgrounder: http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/01/13/nepal9821.htm - UN News Service: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=13273&Cr=Nepal&Cr1= - International Crisis Group: http://www.icg.org/home/index.cfm?id=2929&l=1 - BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4245411.stm -------------------------------------------------------- -- -- = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Via / By / Excerpted / From / Tip from / Thanks to: ----| IFEX COMMUNIQU� VOL 14 NO 6 | 8 FEBRUARY 2005 | ------ The IFEX Communiqu� is the weekly newsletter of the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX), a global network of 64 organisations working to defend and promote free expression. The Communiqu� is also available in French and Spanish. --------------| Visit the IFEX website: http://www.ifex.org/en/|------------------ � info http://members.tripod.com/~media002/disclaimer.htm Due to the nature of email & the WWW, check ALL sources. = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Meet the McDonald�s� Lincoln Fry get free digital souvenirs, Web-only video and bid on the Lincoln Fry prop charity auction. http://us.click.yahoo.com/RUJaMB/fV0JAA/Zx0JAA/uTGrlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> �������������������������������������������������������� Members of the ZESTMedia list exchange news and views about the media in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Bhutan. Write to [email protected] If you got this mail as a forward, subscribe to ZESTMedia by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] OR, if you have a Yahoo! ID, by visiting http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ Get all ZESTMedia mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], OR, if you have a Yahoo! Id, change your settings at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/join/ ====== theZESTcommunity ====================================== [1] ZESTCurrent: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCurrent/ [2] ZESTEconomics: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTEconomics/ [3] ZESTGlobal: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTGlobal/ [4] ZESTMedia: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ [5] ZESTPoets: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTPoets/ [6] ZESTCaste: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTCaste/ [7] ZESTAlternative: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTAlternative/ [8] TalkZEST: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TalkZEST/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ZESTMedia/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
