The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) strongly condemns the repeated attacks against offices and personnel of the Himalmedia group of publications, by individuals believed to be associated with the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), the principal constituent of the ruling coalition in Nepal.

According to information received from the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), an IFJ affiliate, the chief executive of Himalmedia, its editor and publisher were among twelve people injured in an attack by a mob shouting Maoist slogans just after noon on December 21.

About 50 people are believed to have participated in the attack, including Maoist leaders who have been identified by reliable eye-witnesses.

This mob, the IFJ is informed, forced their way into the Himalmedia premises and began physically assaulting staff members, while loudly proclaiming that this was in retaliation for material published in the group's papers about the Maoists' misdeeds.

The IFJ learns that current issues of Himalmedia group publications - the Nepali language daily, Himal Khabarpatrika and the English-language weekly, Nepali Times - carry investigative stories about Maoist militants who have been threatening businesses and the media.

"This attack on Himalmedia is an attack on press freedom and has nothing to do with the defence of journalism or the public interest", said Jacqueline Park, director of the IFJ Asia-Pacific.

The IFJ calls on the authorities in Nepal to initiate immediate action against the attackers their leaders, who have been identified in reports carried by the local media.

"We call upon the political leadership in Nepal, including the Prime Minister and the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, to promptly denounce this act of vandalism and take personal responsibility for ensuring that the guilty are appropriately sanctioned", said Park.

The IFJ supports FNJ's plans to hold demonstrations in protest against this incident, which is the latest in a disturbing pattern of attacks on the media, seemingly with official sanction.

The IFJ is disturbed to learn that well established procedures of registering unions within the journalists' community, are being shredded by a collusive arrangement between the Labour Minister in the newly sworn Republican Government of Nepal and vigilante groups that have emerged over the last decade of the Maoist insurgency.

"We call on all political parties in Nepal, and the wider civil society, to apply existing rules on the recognition of journalists' trade unions", said the IFJ Asia-Pacific.

"Any amendments to these rules should come from a broad process of consultation, rather than be forced upon one or the other side by mob action".

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 123 countries