Written by Patrice Schneider

A group of newspaper, magazine and TV editors in Nepal has set up an alliance to fight what the editors say is a "concerted and deliberate" spate of attacks on press freedom. Ten members of the Nepal Editors’ Alliance are concerned about what they see as a sinister pattern of intimidation and threats against journalists by Maoist-affiliated organisations. Patrice Schneider posted the following news release on behalf of the editors' alliance.

I received this press release from a group of editors of Nepal’s national newspapers, magazines and television who have set up an alliance - called the Nepal Editors' Alliance - to fight back on Nepal's most recent press freedom attacks. It appears that information is caught between a "rock and a hard place", between the ruling authorities and their opponents. One of the hardest environments to work in. They say the situation demands urgent international attention.

"A group of newspaper, magazine and TV editors in Nepal has set up an alliance to fight what the editors say is a "concerted and deliberate" spate of attacks on press freedom.

Ten members of the Editors’ Alliance are concerned about what they see as a sinister pattern of intimidation and threats against journalists by Maoist-affiliated organisations.

"We didn’t have such a serious attack on press freedom even during the direct censorship of media after the King’s coup in February 2005."

The Alliance is made up of editors of The Kathmandu Post (PrateekPradhan), Nepal Samacharpatra , (Pushkar Lal Shrestha), Kantipur (Narayan Wagle), Image Channel (Vijay Panday), The Himalayan Times (Ram Pradhan), Nepal (Sudheer Sharma), Annapurna Post (Shree Acharya), Samaya (Yubaraj Ghimire), Himal Khabarpatrika (Shiva Gaunle) and Nepali Times (Kunda Dixit).

The publication of The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Post have been obstructed by a Maoist-affiliated labour union since August 11.

Members have even entered the newsroom to physically threaten journalists.

Production at Nepal Samacharpatra, Kantipur, Kathmandu Post, HBC FM, Drishti Weekly have also been disrupted in recent weeks."

Note: The above information was contained in a news release issued by the Nepal Editors' Alliance.