A geologist was arrested from Hetauda city on June 15 for writing about Chief Minister in his social media. Geologist Prakash Pratik Luitel was arrested by District Police Office Makwanpur. Makwanpur district lies in Bagmati Province.
According to the Freedom Forum representative Rammani Dahal, Luitel was arrested for allegedly posting on his Facebook page that Chief Minister Paudel failed to do a satisfactory job during the COVID-19 pandemic. DSP and Spokesperson of District Police Office Indra Bhadur Rana said he was arrested on Monday after a complaint was filed against him. Preparation to file a charge against Luitel was ongoing for committing acts of a public offense, said Rana. Luitel states, when inquired about his arrest, he was denied any reason why he was arrested.
Freedom Forum condemns the arrest of an innocent citizen who was exercising his constitutionally protected right to freedom of expression. Every citizen has the right to speak, write, and publish on the internet. Criticism of government, its employees, and agencies is exercise of FoE not a crime. Therefore, FF not only condemns the arrest but also argues that the complaint being filed at the police was intended to torture the innocent citizen for exposing the mismanagement of the bureaucracy. FF demands immediate release of the geologist.