 KATHMANDU - Thousands of communists political activists marched into the Nepalese capital on Tuesday bearing portraits of Marx, Lenin and Stalin in the first major protest against royal rule since the end of a Maoist ceasefire.
About 20,000 supporters of a small communist group, Nepal Workersâ and Peasantsâ Party (ANSWER) (NWPP), carried pictures of the revolutionary icons as they walked 10 km (six miles) into Kathmandu from the temple town of Bhaktapur demanding restoration of democracy. âWe donât accept authoritarian rule,â the activists shouted. âRestore democracy and civil liberties.â
| As in, turn the place over to them. |
The latest protests came a day after a global watchdog, Reporters Without Borders, voiced outrage over Nepalâs continued harassment of the media, blaming the authorities for half the number of reported acts of state censorship in the world in 2005. âThe security forces stop at nothing to monitor and silence journalists working for the independent press,â it said in a statement late on Monday.
At least 425 journalists were arrested, attacked or threatened last year, the Paris-based organisation said. Already this year, six journalists have faced threats or intimidation. âArrests, threats and censorship succeed one another in an infernal cycle,â the statement added. |