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Kathmandu Friday March 08, 2002 Falgun 24, 2058.
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Deuba’s defence
This refers to the news story entitled
"PM defends Budhathoki’s arrest", dated March 6, 2002, TKP.
I wonder how could the Prime Minister defend
the arrest of Sanghu’s editor. Being the Prime Minister, he should not have said the
arrest of the editor was attributed to publishing a write-up which was "detrimental
to army morale". Rather he should have assured the public that he would allow
reporters to investigate into the arrest.
I was filing a report in 1996 in the UK on
"the deaths under police custody". Britain has a police complaint authority
where relatives of the victims file their complaints. That year about 47 people had died
of police torture in the UK. Most of them belonged to minority communities. All reporters
were allowed to file reports on such deaths. I have come across a number of people killed,
not in a crossfire, but in the army or police custody. All of those killed are not the
Maoists. Many of them are innocent people detained and killed by police or army personnel.
What I intend to say here is: If Budhathoki dies, how would our prime minister respond to
his death? Will he say that he was a Maoist or brush aside his death, saying "I do
not know?" Prime Minister Deuba cannot defend army personnel when he sees human
rights violation there. Deuba should allow journalists to report and even meet editor
Budhathoki. The prime minister has no right to convey the message of army personnel to the
public. The public have every right to listen to Budhathoki’ woes and why the army
personnel arrested him.
Ram Bahadur Nepal
Kathmandu |
