Reporters Without Borders, a Paris based international body working for the rights of media has urged the Nepali government to free seven journalists who are still in detention.
A statement issued by the RSF on Thursday said that at least 114 journalists were arrested while doing their job or taking part in pro-democracy demonstrations from 20 January 2006.
The RSF demanded immediate release of Bhim Rai, of weekly Aujaar of Dharan, JB Ghale Magar, deputy chairman of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) Dhankuta, Tikaram Ghimire, of the daily Udghosh Dhankuta, Sudarshan Acharya, of weekly White Paper, Bhaktadhwaj Bohara, an FNJ member, Shyam Shrestha, of monthly Mulyankan and Tej Narayan Sapkota, of the weekly Yojana.
Sapkota has been imprisoned since November 2003.
“Nepal, has since 2004, arrested more journalists than any other country worldwide,” the release adds.
“For the past few years, the Nepalese government has had the distressing tendency to jail journalists in massive numbers. To the knowledge of Reporters Without Borders, the authorities have never succeeded in proving their guilt,” the release adds.
“Whether they were arrested for their articles or for demonstrating for press freedom, their detention is abusive,” said the press freedom organisation.
The RSF also expressed serious concern over the new cases of the security forces carrying out assaults on journalists.
The release further said that Rabindra Shahi, journalist on Dristi Weekly, and an activist colleague with the human rights organisation INSEC, were beaten up by members of the military in Manma, Kalikot district in western Nepal on 13 February. A police officer beat Suresh Koirala, correspondent for the daily Saptahik Janasatta in Bharatpur, central Nepal on 8 February, it adds.