Freedom Forum–Nepal is deeply concerned over the abduction and chopping of fingers of Sushil Dhungana, a reporter and publisher of "Ghodaghodi weekly" published from Kailali, a far-western district of Nepal on 15 November 2010.
Journalist Dhungana was abducted by five persons on motorcycles from Naya Bazar of Sadhepani while returning to Sukkhad. The gang held journalist Sushil Dhungana under its control; taken him to a community forest and his fingers cut mercilessly with blade.
“You have become a big journalist. Now you will enjoy,” Dhungel quoted the group as saying before thrashing him.
He had published a news on 14 November, Sunday entitled 'Smuggling and Commission Seeking Up' highlighting the increasing smuggling and corruption in the district.
Dhungana was taken under control at 3:00 pm and was released at around 6:00 pm. According to Journalist Dhungana three of the assailants riding motorcycle were wearing masks so it was difficult to identify them.
Scribe Dhungana was threatened with life if the incident was made public. So, he informed his colleagues about the incident only after reaching Dhangadhi on 16 November.
"We have filed a case in District Police Office, Kailali asking them to investigate the incident at the earliest," said local journalist Dirgharaj Upadhyay to Press Freedom Monitoring Desk of Freedom Forum over the phone, "we urged security forces not to keep any stone unturned in connection with the incident."
"We condemn such brutal attack on journalist," said Freedom Forum Chairperson Taranath Dahal, "This is clear sign that anti-press incident is in up-surge these days." Dahal further said that cutting the fingers of journalist for the effect of his writing is indication of violation of freedom of expression and of press and the incident was a sign of growing impunity in the country.
"We are very much disgust with the government's inefficiency to bring the guilty to book so as to end the culture of impunity and safeguarding media sector," added Dahal. "We always firmly stand for the freedom of press and express our solidarity and support to victim journalist Dhungana in the days to come," asserted Dahal, "We demand an urgent action of government into the incident so as to protect media sector."
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022