International Freedom of Expression Exchange: The global network for free expression
15 January 2008
EDITOR SHOT DEAD BY MILITANTS
A journalist in a southern Nepalese border town was shot to death by armed militants on 13 January, report the Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Pushkar Shrestha, editor of the local newspaper "Highway Weekly", published in Birgunj, southern Nepal, was shot by armed individuals suspected of belonging to the Jwala Singh faction of the militant group Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM). According to IFJ, JTMM is an armed group fighting for independence for the Terai region in southern Nepal.
Shrestha was rushed to hospital but died while undergoing treatment.
CEHURDES and IFJ are saddened by the murder and are concerned about the lack of improvement in security for working journalists in the country.
In a separate incident, a representative of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) was attacked by an unknown group of assailants on the Ilam-Fidim highway in eastern Nepal.
Krishna Ojha was travelling with other human rights workers when the assailants ambushed their car. Ojha was injured but the other workers managed to escape, says IFJ.
Visit these links:
- CEHURDES: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/89631/
- IFJ: http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=5697&Language=EN
(15 January 2008)
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