Kathmandu, May 4:

Minister for Information and Communication Krishna Bahadur Mahara today justified atrocities meted out by Maoist cadres to journalists during the 11-year-long armed conflict.

“You cannot look at those atrocities in isolation. From the political point of view, they may not be what they appear,” he said, addressing a programme organised to launch a report on the state of press freedom.

The report was prepared by the Forum of Development Journalists with support from the UNESCO Kathmandu Office. He also handed over the Gopal Das Memorial Community Journalism Award to Bijaya FM of Nawalparasi.

During the armed conflict, at least three journalists — Gyanendra Khadka, Dekendra Thapa and Krishna Sen — were murdered. Khadka and Thapa were killed by the Maoists, while Sen was disappeared and killed by the state.

Mahara, who is also the spokesperson for the CPN (Maoist), said, “When people fight for bigger causes, journalists may be attacked and even killed. Such instances cannot be taken as mere criminal activities.”

“Unusual events can take place during the process of political and social transformation,” he said. Let history judge them.History will prove them as justifiable,” he said. He added that

the government is committed to providing compensation and treatment to journalists, who lost their lives or sustained injuries during the People’s War.

The government is making laws to protect rights and freedom of journalists, he said. “I repeat, the government as well as the Maoist party are committed to providing freedom to media persons. They must be free from suppression, pressure and restrictions,” he said.

Speaking at the same programme, Bishnu Nisthuri, president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists, objected to Mahara’s justification of atrocities.

“The minister’s comment is very objectionable. It shows that the government is backing the inhumane history,” he said.

The seven-party alliance has decided to shelter a person, who was responsible for the torture of a media person, Nisthuri said, without saying who the torturer is.