by the World Association of Community Broadcasters (AMARC)

Amidst growing level of attacks against free media and freedom of expression in Nepal and just within days of attack on community radio Mahakali, yet another community radio station, Radio Mukti, run by a women’s group and located in the central region town of Butwal has been vandalised by a group of students from the Butwal Multiple Campus on the night of 21 March 2009.

According to Ms. Kabita Sharma, Station Manager of Radio Mukti, “the students attacked the radio station approximately around 11 pm over a news broadcast on postponement of counting of votes of Free Student Union election in the campus. Windowpanes were smashed and a vehicle was damaged by the assailants. No one was present at the station at the time of attack.”

“I received several threatening phone calls on Friday, March 20th from Bimal Giri, identifying himself as deputy president of All Nepal National Independent Student Union (ANISU-Revolutionary), the student wing of the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). I urged him to stop threatening me and my colleagues over the phone and invited him to the station for a discussion. I informed him of my willingness to have an on the air debate, if he wanted one, but he declined. He spoke very rudely and threatened me of rape and death,” said Sharma. The same day, a top level Maoist leader Bam Dev Chhetri had condemned Radio Mukti and several other media outlets in a public rally in the same district. He had accused radio Mukti and the others of working against the ANISU-R and the Maoist party.

“Despite the continuing threats and an atmosphere of fear, the station has not stopped broadcasting; it will continue to serve the community,” said Sharma speaking over the phone from her station.

Raghu Mainali of AMARC Asia Pacific has condemned the attack on Radio Mukti. “It is highly unacceptable that a community radio station is attacked and the staff threatened. This demonstrates further that the level of tolerance of the Maoists - the leading party of the ruling coalition, towards freedom of expression is non-existent. All individuals and institutions supporting human rights and communication rights must come together in condemning this attack,” he has said.

In his message, the President of AMARC Asia Pacific, Ashish Sen has expressed shock and deep concern over the incident. “The international community and supporters of freedom of expression are highly concerned by the attacks on the free media in Nepal. The attack on Community Radio Mukti must be condemned in the strongest way possible. I call upon the free society of the world to extend their support to radio Mukti and all community radios of Nepal as well as the free media of that country at this perilous hour of crisis and concern.”

Radio Mukti started test broadcasting on 3 October 2008 while its regular transmission began on 24 December 2008. The station is managed by an NGO run by women that aims to achieve equality for women through media currently broadcasts 18 hours a day.