Kathmandu, November 8:

Maoists threatened and attacked three journalists in Rukum in response to news published recently in the local weekly Jantidhara, states a release from Action Alert Network, issued here today.

Narayan Shah, president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists’ (FNJ) Rukum chapter, received a death threat from Raj Kumar Sirpahi “Subodh”, a cadre of the Maoist-aligned Young Communist League on September 30 and from Maoist District Secretary Jeetman Pun “Marshall” on November 5 in Musikot, the district headquarters of Rukum, in mid-western Nepal.

According to Shah, Mahesh KC, a Pokhara-based journalist, and Sushil Gautam, Rukum correspondent of Jantidhara, were also attacked and threatened by YCL cadres on September 28 and October 1, respectively. All the incidents were in retaliation to news published in Jantidhara.

The FNJ has condemned the continuous attacks on media and media persons by Maoist cadres and urges them to respect freedom of expression and the right to information.

It also called the authorities concerned to bring the perpetrators to to justice.