The

International Federation of

Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Federation of Nepali Journalists

(FNJ) in expressing serious concerns over police complicity in an assault on

journalist Lila Nath Ghimire on August 15.

Ghimire,

a journalist with Fast Times dailybased in Dharan, in eastern Nepal,

was attacked by a gang of youths while reporting on an incident at a restaurant

involving Senior Superintendent of Police Mingmar Lama.

The

gang, reportedly led byan individual namedThaman Gurung and

allegedly working with the approval of the superintendent, attacked Ghimire

with a glass, causing serious injury to his right eye.

Ghimire

was assaulted after being denied entry to the restaurant, while investigating

reports that Lama was intoxicated and engaged in “inappropriate behaviour” at

the restaurant.

Lama

quickly left the restaurant when he learnt of the presence of reporters,

according toDharan Municipal Youth Force coordinator Devhang Rai,

who witnessed the incident.

“The

IFJ demands that Ghimire’s attackers are prosecuted without delay, and that a

full investigation into their alleged connections with the police superintendent

be conducted,” IFJ Asia-Pacific

Director Jacqueline Park said.

Ghimire

is undergoing treatment for his injuries in the Koirala Institute of Health

and Sciences in Dharan.

Lama has denied any involvement in the attack, and

said investigations into the assault were under way.

For further

information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific

on +612 9333 0919

The IFJ

represents more than 600,000 journalists in 125 countries

Find the

IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific