 KATHMANDU - Hundreds of Nepali journalists marched in the capital on Tuesday demanding the removal of curbs on press freedom and the release of detained colleagues, three days after the king ended emergency rule in the kingdom. About 1,000 journalists participated in the rally in Kathmandu to mark World Press Freedom day as riot police, armed with bamboo batons, kept a close watch but did not intervene. "Stop the crackdown on the media and guarantee uninterrupted press freedom," read a placard held up by one demonstrator. "Release the jailed journalists," others said.
| Funny, not a single sign that read, "Kill the Maoists Before They Kill Us". |
"Press freedom in Nepal is facing the most serious crisis in its history right now," Taranath Dahal, the chief of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), told a meeting after the march. Dahal said curbs on the press were still in place and that 10 journalists had been detained since the state of emergency came in force. Authorities have refused to comment on the detention of journalists. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has urged the royalist government to lift press curbs and release journalists under detention in the impoverished country. |