Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli
Prime Minister of Nepal
Kathmandu, Nepal
Email: binod.kunwar@nepal.gov.np [1]
Fax: +977-1-4211065, 4211086, 4211038, 4211021, 4211047
26 April 2016
Dear Prime Minister,
We are writing on behalf of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) and the World Editors Forum, which represent 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries, to express our serious concern at the detention of journalist and publisher Kanak Mani Dixit.
According to reports, police acting on behalf of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) arrested Mr Dixit – co-publisher of Himalmedia, whose titles include Himal South Asia, Nepali Times and Himal Khabar Patrika, and a columnist for several international outlets – at his home in Lalitpur on 22 April. On 24 April a special court remanded Mr Dixit to 10 days in custody and instructed that lawyers be allowed to see him in hospital, where he is receiving treatment for a variety of ailments.
The CIAA is investigating claims that Mr Dixit, who is also Chairman of transportation company Sajha Yatayar and an active human rights activist, has amassed property illegally while abusing public authority. Mr Dixit denies any wrongdoing and claims that his arrest is fabricated, arbitrary and a contempt of court. He alleges that the investigation is the result of a personal vendetta by Commission Chief Lokman Singh Karki, whose appointment as CIAA head Mr Dixit criticized publicly in his columns.
We are seriously concerned that Mr Dixit is being silenced for expressing his views and that the CIAA is abusing its powers to intimidate him. More than 60 leading editors and media figures, activists, intellectuals and scholars from across the world have signed a public letter demanding Mr Dixit’s release.
We respectfully call on you to take all possible steps to ensure that the detention order is immediately rescinded and that the CIAA investigation is halted. Given the personal nature of this action, we urge you to appoint an independent inquiry into the conduct of the CIAA and its investigation.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Tomas Brunegård
President
World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers
Marcelo Rech
President
World Editors Forum
WAN-IFRA is the global organisation for the world’s newspapers and news publishers, with formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe. The organisation groups 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries.
