For immediate release:
AMARC condemns the attack on
Community Radio Mukti in Nepal
March 23, 2009, Kathmandu. Amidst
growing level of attacks against free media and freedom of expression in Nepal and
just within days of attack on community radio Mahakali, yet another community
radio station, Radio Mukti, run by a women’s group and located in the
central region town of Butwal has been vandalised by a group of students from
the Butwal Multiple Campus on the night of Saturday, March 21, 2009.
According to Ms. Kabita Sharma,
Station Manager of Radio Mukti, “the students attacked the radio station
approximately around 11 pm over a news broadcast on postponement of counting of
votes of Free Student Union election in the campus. Windowpanes were smashed
and a vehicle was damaged by the assailants. No one was present at the station
at the time of attack”
“I received several
threatening phone calls on Friday, March 20th from Bimal Giri,
identifying himself as deputy president of All
Nepal National Independent Student Union (ANISU-Revolutionary), the student
wing of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). I urged him to stop
threatening me and my colleagues over the phone and invited him to the station
for a discussion. I informed him of my willingness to have an on the air
debate, if he wanted one, but he declined. He spoke very rudely and threatened
me of rape and death,” said Sharma. The same day, a top level Maoist
leader Bam Dev Chhetri had condemned Radio Mukti and several other media
outlets in a public rally in the same district. He had accused radio Mukti and
the others of working against the ANISU-R and the Maoist party.
“Despite
the continuing threats and an atmosphere of fear, the station has not stopped
broadcasting; it will continue to serve the community,” said Sharma
speaking over the phone from her station.
Raghu Mainali of
AMARC Asia Pacific has condemned the attack on Radio Mukti. “It is highly
unacceptable that a community radio station is attacked and the staff
threatened. This demonstrates further that the level of tolerance of the
Maoists - the leading party of the ruling coalition, towards freedom of
expression is non-existent. All individuals and institutions supporting human rights
and communication rights must come together in condemning this attack,”
he has said.
In his message,
President of AMARC Asia Pacific, Ashish Sen has expressed shock and deep
concern over the incident. “The international community and supporters of
freedom of expression are highly concerned by the attacks on the free media in
Nepal. The attack on Community Radio Mukti must be condemned in the strongest
way possible. I call upon the free society of the world to extend their support
to radio Mukti and all community radios of Nepal as well as the free media of
that country at this perilous hour of crisis and concern.”
About
Community Radio Mukti
Radio Mukti
started test broadcasting from October 3, 2008 and its regular transmission
began from December 24, 2008. The station is managed by an NGO run by women
that aims to achieve equality for women through media currently broadcasts 18
hours a day. For further information, Kabita Sharma, Station Manager can be
contacted at [log in to unmask].
Released
by AMARC Asia Pacific Regional office, [log in to unmask]
____________________________________________________
AMARC
is an international non-governmental organization serving the community radio
movement in over 110 countries, and advocating for the right to communicate at
the international, national, local and neighbourhood levels. AMARC has an
International Secretariat in Montreal. It has regional sections in Africa,
Latin America and Asia Pacific and offices in Johannesburg, Buenos Aires and
Kathmandu.
For more information, please
visit www.amarc.org
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