Kathmandu,
Jan. 12: Various speakers underlined the need to knock the door of the
International Court of Justice as the government has been an obstacle to bring
the murderers of Dailekh-based journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa to book.
At
a gathering of editors organized here on Saturday by Television Editors Guild,
former Chairpersons of Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) and senior
journalists further said that the Prime Minister and the government's legal
advisors have remained an obstacle to book the murderers of journalist Thapa.
They
argued that it was injustice for the Attorney General to write letter to public
prosecutor to withdraw the case of persons arrested on murder charge.
However,
while talking to BBC on Friday, Attorney General Mukti Pradhan said that he had
not halted the process to bring the murderers of journalist Thapa to justice.
He
also defended the Prime Minister saying that PM Bhattarai did not mean to say
that murderers should be allowed to go scot free but the process to take action
should be initiated by forming the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
FNJ
ex-chairperson Taranath Dahal argued that there is no need of forming the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission to take action against the murderers of
journalist Thapa who was unarmed at the time of his killing.
Former
Chairperson of FNJ Suresh Acharya accused that the government was oriented
towards totalitarian rule by brushing aside the rule of law and Prime Minister
Dr Baburam Bhattarai himself was promoting impunity. Senior
journalists Harihar Birahi and Yubaraj Ghimire recommended that the media
fraternity fight against impunity by garnering public opinion nationally and
internationally as the government has trampled on justice and the judicial
system.
It
was shared at the programme that Dr Bhattarai has so far withdrawn 269 cases
related to crimes in the name of bringing the peace process to logical end.Speaking on the occasion, FNJ ex-chairperson
Dharmendra Jha, ex-general secretary Mahendra Bista, vice-chairperson Yasoda
Timsina and journalist Kapil Kafle warned of launching a string of protest
programmes if the government did not take action against the murderers of
journalist Thapa as per the law.
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