From Nepal:

“Among genuine Maoist cadre – for they exist amidst the mass of opportunists who have signed up – there is the belief that the journalist stands in the way of change. They have been taught that journalism can never be independent and must be part of the effort to fight a class war as directed by the party.

Five journalists around the country presently face credible death threats, and the sense of insecurity in the districts is much more palpable than in Kathmandu Valley. A senior editor was recently asked pointedly and ominously, “How long do we have to suffer this indignity of criticism. Tell us, kati samma sahera basne hamilay?”

As per their politico-military training, Maoists workers as a whole continue to regard those who disagree with them as the enemy, and the critic can variously be labeled feudal, anti-people, anti-national. The leadership has done little to change this self-serving mindset, and so cadres everywhere feel confident in exhibiting hostility. If a sense of fear can be created leading to self-censorship, then regardless of what this does to the image of the party it can be useful for developing a pliant society. But the matter may spiral out of even Maoist control, for the party´s attitude towards media is being internalized by violent groups in the mid-western Tarai and elsewhere.

Amidst the violence-puja that has overtaken the country, who we had thought represented ‘civil society’ are yet to awake to the dangers, the business community seeks accommodation amidst rampant extortion, and the state administration and security mechanisms are subdued by the extremist sloganeering of Maoist leaders and ministers. For now, the journalist, human rights defender, local politician and activist stand at the frontline on behalf of the citizenry, vulnerable amidst daily threats and intimidations, beatings and attacks. Everyone understands that the attacks on the media are meant to send a message to the rest. Everyone also understands that the fall of free media will be a harbinger of years of unrest, derailment of governance, crash of the economy, and pushback of development….”

Kanak Mani Dixit, “Independent Press: Learning From Uma” in MyRepublica.com

Comment:

The Uma referenced in the article is Uma Singh, a young Nepali journalist who was murdered, according to this BBC report:

“Uma Singh, a radio journalist in her 20s, was hacked to death by between 12 and 20 men in her room in the southern city of Janakpur. Ms Singh is believed to be the first female reporter killed in the country, although journalists have long lived with violence or the threat of it.A friend and fellow journalist told the BBC there was no part of her body that was not covered with blood. She died on the way to the capital after attempts locally to help her failed. “

                      What did Uma do to get herself hacked to death?

Ameet Dhakal writes:

“Uma was a gutsy lady—sharp and fearless. It takes guts to be a woman journalist in Madhes, and you need an extra dose of it to move away from your home to another district, to live by yourself in a rented room, and do journalism while braving the likes of Matrika Yadav,* Babban Singh and others of the criminal groups mushrooming in Madhes. She wrote articles exposing Matrika Yadav, and in one of the public functions when Babban Singh was speaking on women’s rights she reprimanded him for the rape cases he was implicated in. Such examples of her audacity are aplenty.”

  *Maoist leader

Arrests have been made in the case, according to this piece at the Nepali newspaper, eKantipur.com.