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Editor Sen Made to “Disappear”!

Kathmandu. On the one hand the international community is seriously raising the issue of extrajudicial killings, disappearances, and torture of civilians by the Government and its armed forces. On the other hand, the Government, far from stopping these illegal and criminal activities, has on several occasions issued release papers for prisoners held illegally, and at the same time organised their disappearance through security forces. One of the victims of these criminal activities by the Government is Krishna Sen. The Chief Editor of Janadesh Weekly was imprisoned under the black Panchayati “Security Act” since April 1999 in Bhadragol jail, Kathmandu.

On Wednesday, 9^th February, as per the Security Act, he was released. But, the police on duty arrested him again before he could leave the jail compound. They brought him to the district police office Hanumandhoka. Now Sen is no longer there. According to reliable sources, Sen was brought to Maharajganj armed police camp. But the police refuse to acknowledge any knowledge of his whereabouts, to his family members and relatives. According to police sources, in that armed police camp, only those people are brought who will be tortured or made to disappear. If analysed in this way, the Governmemt is planning  to commit another crime with Editor Krishna Sen.

The memorable matter is that some days ago, Professor Suresh Alemagar and Engineer Pawan Man Shrestha - both journalists - were also made to “disappear” after  the Supreme Court ordered their release for the fourth time. This actually happened during the official visit in Nepal of the UN Special Rapporteur for extrajudiciary killings and torture Asma Jahangir visit to Nepal. She subsequently made public the existence of an unprecedented number of extrajudicial killings and disappearances. She urged the government to stop this malpractice.

The government was thus exposed in its nakedness not only among the people at the national level but also internationally. The government took no step towards stopping its diabolic activities.

Two Journalists Arrested

Siraha/Nepal Journalists’ Federation district committee vice president Nagendra Paswan (reporter of Janadesh) and central representative Devkumar Yadav  (Mahima reporter) were arrested on the 15^th of February. At the time of arrest, they were sleeping in their homes. The Nepal Journalists Federation Siraha district branch in a press statement condemned the arrests and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of the two journalists.

(Source: Mahima weekly, February 17^th 2000. Translation Janak Pathak)