Tuesday, March 29, 2005

JOURNALISTS IN NEPAL USE CYBERSPACE TO FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY

By Jeremy Reynalds
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

Several outspoken Web pages have sprung up in the tiny Himalayan country, HCJB Radio (www.hcjb.org) reported, where civil liberties including freedom of expression have been suspended. (Pictured: Nepal Protester being arrested on March 4 - photo sent to Radio Free Nepal by a reader).

Those accessing the Web site of Radio Free Nepal (http://freenepal.blogspot.com), started a week after the king took power, can read an interview with an arrested opposition leader, or news about pro-democracy protests held in the country.

This is the kind of news no longer carried, HCJB commented, by Nepal's usually vibrant mainstream media.

King Gyanendra seized power on Feb.1 and imposed strict censorship, banning criticism of his action, which he said was aimed at ending a communist rebellion in the country.

At about the same time as Radio Free Nepal began, HCJB reported the Web log (or blog) United We Blog (www.blog.com.np) run by Dinesh Wagle began carrying political stories. It has run articles about an anti-monarchy student demonstration, an editor being questioned by authorities and communist rebels extorting money from villagers.

Blogs are fast becoming a popular source of news and information in Nepal.

A Nepalese journalist, Yuvraj Ghimre, said it was logical for journalists to tap new technology to get the news across.

“This is only natural when there is some kind of restriction (that) people want free flow of their views and they do find ways to express them,” HCJB reported he said. “It is (a) just ... and (a) legitimate way of exercising the right to expression.”

Radio Free Nepal has been appealing to the world not to forget the tiny country. Visitors to the website can read this comment, “Please help tell the world about what has happened in Nepal. Do not forget us. We want our democracy back! If you have questions or would like to help spread the word e-mail us.”

HJCB reported that the journalist running it says the desire for democracy and free expression prompted him to start the site. But he said he stays anonymous, fearing action by authorities.

According to HJCB, the journalists has good reason to be afraid. In recent weeks, the administration has done much to intimidate the media. Editors have been summoned to police stations, and several journalists have been arrested. Military officials have been posted at media offices to review material before it is published. Radio stations have been ordered to carry only entertainment material.

Vincent Brossel with the media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders (www.rsf.org) said frustrated Nepalese journalists appear to have taken a cue from other countries where the media face severe restrictions.

"We saw in ... (countries) like Iran (and) China that Web loggers have been very involved in this fight for more freedom of expression. In Nepal it is a new thing, but it will be a real opportunity for leading Nepali journalists to prove they are committed to press freedom and they want to express what they are seeing in their country,” HCJB reported Brossel said.

However, Brossel pointed out that the impact of these Web sites within Nepal might be limited because very few people have access to computers or know English.

But nonetheless, HCJB reported that Brossel said the blogs still make a valuable contribution, and are being widely quoted both inside and outside the country as a source of uncensored information. Their articles have been picked up by scores of other similar sites around the world. The hits at United We Blog rose to more than 80,000 in March from 13,000 in January.

In recent weeks, authorities have promised to allow the news media more freedom. But rights groups say that has not happened so far. According to HCJB, after a visit to Nepal in early March, the secretary general of the International Commission of Jurists, Nicholas Howen, said the media faces wide harassment. He described how authorities dealt with the editor of a popular weekly publication, Surya Thapa of Budhabar, for printing an article on five political parties uniting to fight the king.

“Because of this article ... he is now under investigation for a criminal offense; (and an) intelligence agent is stationed permanently outside his office. At least one edition has not been able to be printed (and) wide spaces appear in other editions where there has been censorship of key parts of what he wants to publish,” HCJB reported he said.

Cyberspace has also come under scrutiny, and Nepal's government has blocked several Web sites, including those of the communist rebels.

But so far the Web logs have escaped the attention of authorities, HCJB noted. Journalists running the blogs hope their luck will continue because the government is relatively new to the Internet. Additionally, as one of the world’s poorest 10 nations Nepal does not have the kind of high-technology surveillance seen in other countries that restrict the media.

United We Blog and Radio Free Nepal, Reuters reported (www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7979741), are aimed at highlighting the country’s plights to the outside world.

The postings have been picked up, linked to and referred to by scores of other blogs around the world, including the Online Journalism Review (www.ojr.org) published by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication.

“Through blogs, I want the world to know Nepal and talk about it,” the journalist behind the Radio Free Nepal blog told Reuters. “That way, there will be more pressure on the king to restore democracy -- that’s what I hope to gain -- democracy.”

Worried about being arrested, the Radio Free Nepal blogger emails his posts to a friend overseas, who then puts them on the blog. United We Blog’s Wagle and his partners, on the other hand, operate openly.

“I am not blogging against anyone, but for peace, democracy and freedom,” Wagle told Reuters. “Even the king has vowed to restore democracy ... within three years. I am just helping him.”

When Gyanendra took power, he shut down Internet service providers and all phone lines for a week, Reuters reported. But the communications blackout played havoc with the economy -- airlines and other business couldn't operate properly, credit cards could not be used and some ATMs would not work -- and lines were restored.

However, some Internet sites remain blocked, including Maoist sites and news sites www.newslookmag.com and www.nepalipost.com.

In a related story, Voice of America (VOA) reported (www.voanews.com/english/2005-03-29-voa15.cfm) that Nepalese journalists staged a protest in the nation’s capital, Kathmandu, to demand an end to government censorship.

More than 300 journalists marched through the city Tuesday, waving signs calling for freedom of the press and down with autocracy, VOA reported. Police did not break up the rally or make any arrests, as in previous protests.

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) says at least 13 journalists have been detained since the imposition of emergency rule, VOA reported. The head of the organization says its members are going to fight until complete press freedom is restored in the country.