Violence Against Journalists Escalate in Nepal

Amid increased political unrest, attacks against journalists are on the rise in Nepal, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.

In recent weeks dozens of people have been killed in violent clashes throughout the country after four major political parties signed an agreement to divide Nepal into seven provinces — a major step toward creating a new constitution. In a country that has been centrally governed for years, some groups claim that the new borders will limit their political representation. 

In the past two weeks, journalists who have covered these protests in southern and western Nepal have been targeted:

• On September 2, protesters smashed the windshield of a daily Nagarik vehicle as the van was returning from delivering newspapers in the southeastern Morang district.
• On September 7, police beat Bikram Rauniyar, a correspondent for Mountain Television, as he was covering clashes between police and protesters in the southern city of Janakpur.
• On September 12, assailants threw a Molotov cocktail at the house of Himalayan Times photojournalist Ram Sarraf, who had been covering violent clashes in the southern Parsa district. 

"We call on Nepali authorities to ensure journalists are able to safely and freely report on events on the ground during this tumultuous time in the country," said CPJ Asia Program Research Associate Sumit Galhotra. "Any and all attacks against journalists should be swiftly investigated and the perpetrators held to account."

Click here for CPJ data and analysis on Nepal.