Photo Credit: AFP
Over 60 leading editors and media figures, activists, intellectuals and scholars from across the world are rallying behind the prominent Nepali editor Kanak Mani Dixit, who was arrested in Katmandu by anti-graft officials yesterday, and have unequivocally demanded his release.
The situation has been complicated by Dixit’s sudden hospitalization this morning after suffering from high blood pressure after he was placed overnight in a prison cell.
Those who have signed the call for Kanak Dixit’s freedom say they “are deeply concerned about his safety and rights” and include prominent television personalities such as Karan Thapar, Barkha Dutt and Rajdeep Sardesai, the former BBC journalist Sir Mark Tully and feminist historian Uma Chakravarty. Other signatories are James Astill, Political Editor of The Economist, Prof. Sumit Ganguly, the Rabindranath Tagore Chair at Indiana University, as well as Sharmain Obaid , Pakistani award winning documentary film maker, Mahfuz Anam, founder-editor of the Daily Star in Bangladesh, and Imtiaz Ahmed, Executive Director of Regional Centre for Strategic Studies in Colombo.
The text of the statement follows:
It is with deep concern that we have learned of the arrest of Kanak Mani Dixit, the widely respected founder-editor of Himal Media and a courageous voice for transparency, freedom of expression and democratic rights in Nepal and across South Asia. The charges are related to alleged corruption but Kanak Dixit says it is part of a vendetta pursued against him by people in Government.
We have known Kanak Dixit as a true professional, human rights defender and energetic journalist whose credentials are built on robust research and tremendous courage. Himal Media, a pioneer in South Asia journalism, has published Himal South Asia, Nepali Times and Himal Khabar Patrika (in the Nepali language). He has written extensively for international media including leading newspapers in India and is chairman of Sajha Yatayat, a state run transportation company, which he has been turning around from a loss-making entity.
Kanak Dixit's detention comes at a time of increased pressure on free media across South Asia. We call upon all national and international media organisations, individual journalists and editors, defenders of media under pressure, on those who believe in the freedom of expression, to seek Kanak Dixit's immediate release and a fair and transparent trial, free of bias.
We call upon the Government of Nepal to issue a transparent and unequivocal statement on his detention for we are deeply concerned about his safety and rights. We condemn all forms of pressure tactics on editors like him and other courageous media figures such as Mahfuz Anam of the Daily Star in Dhaka, who is facing 80 cases of sedition and libel in Bangladeshi courts, and other media persons who are committed to the rule of law and justice.
Sanjoy Narayan, Editor, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Rajdeep Sardesai, Chief Editor, India Today TV Group, New Delhi
Sir Mark Tully, veteran broadcaster
TN Ninan, Chairman, Business Standard Pvt Ltd, New Delhi
James Astill, Political Editor, The Economist
Swaminathan S AnklesariaAiyar, Consulting Editor, Times of india Group
Barkha Dutt, Consulting Editor, NDTV
Sharmeen Obaid, Oscar Awardee for documentaries, Pakistan
Kathika Nair, poet and writer, Paris
Maja Daruwala, Director, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi
Sevanti Ninan, editor, The Hoot, New Delhi
Siddharth Varadarajan, Founder Editor, The Wire, New Delhi
Sumit Ganguly, Rabindranath Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations and Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, US
Salil Tripathi, Journalist and Author, London
Imtiaz Ahmed, Executive Director, RCSS, Colombo
Mahfuz Anam, Editor, The Daily Star, Dhaka
Aunohita Mojumdar, Editor, Himal Southasian
Laxmi Murthy, Consulting Editor, Himal Southasian
Vijay Prashad, Contributing editor, Himal
Gillian Wright, Writer
Sara Hossein, Lawyer, Bangladesh Supreme Court
Zafar Sobhan, Editor, Dhaka Tribune
Afsan Chowdhury, Senior Journalist, Bangladesh
Rita Manchanda, South Asia Forum for Human Rights (SAFHR)
Tapan K Bose, SAHFR
Dr. Naila Zaman Khan, Professor of Child Neurology and Development, Bangladesh
Lubna Mariam, Cultural activist, Bangladesh
Catherine Masud, Film Maker, US-Bangladesh
Dr Amena Mohsin, Professor, Dept. International Relations, University of Dhaka
Kalpana Sharma, independent journalist, Mumbai
Urvashi Butalia, Publisher, Zubaan
Dr. Sanjib Baruah, Professor of Political Studies, Bard College, New York, US
Dr. Bina D’Costa, Associate Professor and Director of Studies, Department of International, Australian National University
Tultul Biswas, Madhya Pradesh MahilaManch, Bhopal
C. Raja Mohan, Journalist
Tarun Basu, President, Society for Policy Studies (SPS), New Delhi
Subir Bhowmick, Senior Editor, BD24news, Kolkata
Pradip Phanjoubam, Editor, Imphal Free Press
Jyoti Malhotra, Senior Journalist, New Delhi
L. Somi Roy, Imasi Foundation, Manipur
Patricia Mukhim, Editor, The Shillong Times
Seema Mustafa, Editor, The Citizen, New Delhi
T. Monalisa Chankija, Editor, Nagaland Page, Dimapur
Akum Longchari, Editor, Morung Express, Dimapur
Teesta Setalvad, Journalist and Co-Editor Sabrangindia.in
Lalita Panicker, Senior Associate Editor, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi
Nalaka Gunwardene, Columnist, Sri Lanka
Seema Guha, senior journalist (freelance), New Delhi
Sangeeta Barooah Pisharoty, The Wire, New Delhi
Aruni Kashyap, Writer and Asst Professor of English, Ashoka University
Dr. Xonzoi Barbora, TISS, Guwahati
Dr. Sanjeeb Kakoty, Associate Professor, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Management Shillong
Dr. Anjuman Ara Begum, Forum-Asia, Katmandu
Uma Chakravarty, feminist historian, New Delhi
Nisha Biswas, scientist and activist, Kolkata
Preeti Gill, editor and literary agent, New Delhi
Sanjoy Hazarika, independent columnist, New Delhi
Nupur Basu, senior journalist
Sanjoy K Roy, Teamwork Arts
Neena Gopal, Resident Editor, Deccan Chronicle, Bangalore
Geeta Seshu, Journalist, Mumbai
Anusheh Anadil, Musician and Cultural Activist, Bangladesh
Kishalay Bhattacharjee, author and journalist, New Delhi
Babul Gogoi, Assam Times, Guwahati
Dr Nayanika Mookherjee, Reader in Socio-Cultural Anthropology, Durham University, UK
Saadia Haq, writer and human rights activist, Pakistan
Rina Mukherjee, Independent Journalist, Kolkata
Rizio Yohannan Raj, Lila Foundation
Sandhya Srinivasan, Infochange News & Features, Mumbai
Pushpa Achanta, Journalist and Trainer, Bangalore
Manisha Chaudhry
Shoma Sen
Photo Credit: AFP