KATHMANDU - The editor of Kantipur, Nepal's biggest daily, said he was grilled by police on Thursday for a report in which the number of protestors arrested by police during countrywide anti-monarchy demonstrations was published.
| "And if'in you don't start talkin', we'll have ya parboiled!" |
Editor Narayan Wagle said he had been summoned to appear before police Thursday morning. "I was told the news report in my paper which said around 750 protestors across the country had been nabbed for holding anti-king protests on Monday, had gone against the spirit and norms of the royal proclamation of February 1," Wagle told reporters, referring to King Gyanendra's assuming of absolute power in Nepal last month.
"The police did not ask me to sign any papers or to be present before them in future," he said. "I was summoned just to discuss the matter with them." Lawyer Ram Krishna Nirala, who accompanied Wagle, said: "We told the police that they cannot summon journalists to clarify news reports. It should be done by concerned officials but not by police."
Journalists have been under pressure since Gyanendra's February 1 seizure of power and declaration of emergency rule, in which severe restrictions have been slapped on the media. Five journalists have been detained without trial.
Following the king's power grab, the International Federation of Journalists said about half of Nepal's newspapers had ceased to publish, at least 600 journalists had already lost their jobs and a further 1,000 could be out of work if press censorship remains in place. |