Nepal's beleaguered media starts court battle against Maoists

Prevented by a Maoist union from publishing and distributing its dailies since Saturday, an independent publishing house in Nepal Wednesday began battling its case in court even as Nepal's diplomatic community expressed its concern.

Two popular dailies, the Himalayan Times and the Annapurna Post, published by International Media Network Nepal, went to court after the Maoist-affiliated All Nepal Communication and Printing Publication Workers' Union threatened to disrupt their distribution.

The trouble started last month after the paperboys delivering the two dailies began demanding appointment letters and other facilities from the publishing house, which says the distribution is done by third-party contract.

After the two dailies reported that their reporters had been threatened by Maoist workers, the disruptions spilled over to the dailies' printing press as well.

Since Saturday, union members have been preventing employees from entering the press, effectively stopping the publication of the two dailies.

Though the marketer of the two dailies filed a petition in the Patan Appellate Court last week, asking for a stay on the disruption, the unionists refused to accept the court summons.

The court is scheduled to hear the case Wednesday, but Annapurna Post's managing editor Shree Acharya said he feared the matter would not end there.

"This is a political vendetta," he said. "With the election coming closer, the Maoists are afraid they will lose.

"Events show their support in the Terai plains has eroded, as has their control in the hill areas. Only pockets in the urban areas are left and so they are trying to gag the independent media.

"The protesters have direct links to the Maoists and are being directed by them."

The Himalayan Times said the US and British embassies in Nepal had expressed serious concern over the disruption.

"Intimidation against free media undermines democracy by suppressing free speech," the US Embassy reportedly said. "Maoist union-affiliated activities against these newspapers directly contradict claims by their leaders to support democracy and free media. Freedom of speech is critical to the holding of free and fair elections in November."

The daily reported the British embassy as saying that a free media was the "lifeblood of a healthy democracy" and must be allowed to function without intimidation and interference.

The disruption of the dailies follows an agitation in the capital started last month after Nepal's government sacked 49 employees.

The axed journalists from Gorkhapatra Sansthan, the official print media, have been holding street protests demanding reinstatement, without any result.

Nepal's information and communications ministry is headed by Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who used to be the spokesperson of the Maoists.

A private radio station has also stopped broadcasting since last week after pro-Maoist union workers barged into its studio and padlocked its offices.

The Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation FM station is yet to resume operations.

Though Nepal's leading media organisations have been espousing the cause of the journalists under Maoist siege, there has been no response from the government.

(IANS)

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