Nepal Police briefly detained journalist Ramesh Rawal in Surkhet on February 23. Surkhet lies in Karnali Province of Nepal. Rawal is associated with Nayapatrika daily and https://shilapatra.com/ (an online news portal).
Journalist Rawal said that he was taken under control for four hours while returning back to home from media house. "Even though I said I was returning home from work they shouted on me and grabbed my mobile, purse and identity card and kept me under control", he said.
"When I asked for the reason of arrest, they asked me why I was walking late night, beat me and forcefully pushed me into their van", he added, "Later, I was released with the help of a fellow journalist and I got my purse and ID card back."
Freedom Forum condemns the incident as it has violated citizen's right to free mobility. Nepal police being a responsible security authority should protect citizens rather than intimidate them in the name of security. Moreover, taking a journalist under control for no reason along with his credentials seems suspicious.
Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authority to ensure free and secure atmosphere for journalists and citizens.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np