(FNJ/IFEX) – On 22 August 2007, FNJ’s Morang Chapter was the target of a bomb attack. A similar bomb was thrown at the local daily newspaper “Udgosh”. Both incidents took place in Biratnagar, Morang district, in eastern Nepal. According to Shiva Bahadur Karki, president of FNJ’s Morang Chapter, two bombs were planted in the FNJ […]
(FNJ/IFEX) – On 22 August 2007, FNJ’s Morang Chapter was the target of a bomb attack. A similar bomb was thrown at the local daily newspaper “Udgosh”. Both incidents took place in Biratnagar, Morang district, in eastern Nepal.
According to Shiva Bahadur Karki, president of FNJ’s Morang Chapter, two bombs were planted in the FNJ office, along with some pamphlets authored by a group calling itself “JFP Ranabir Shena Nepal”. Of the two bombs, only the smaller one exploded a short distance from the FNJ office. In the pamphlet, JFP claimed that their intention was to alert journalists to Maoist activities and to encourage them to disseminate news against the Maoists.
FNJ has condemned the incident and urged the government to investigate it in order to identify and punish the perpetrators. In recent days, FNJ has witnessed a trend of threatening and forcing journalists to write news in favor of various groups, which violates freedom of expression and press freedom. FNJ has also urged the government to provide protection to journalists so that they can work in a safe environment.