Journalist Held for Reportedly Criticising Nepal’s Ex-PM PK Dahal
Dipak Pathak was reportedly arrested on 30 April, for criticising former PM Pushpa Kumar Dahal on social media.
Dipak Pathak, Nepali journalist and part of Radio Nepal, was reportedly arrested in Kathmandu on 30 April, for criticising Nepal’s former prime minister Pushpa Kumar Dahal on social media.
According to a report in The Wire, Pathak was arrested from his home by the cybercrime unit of the Kathmandu police. Nabind Aryal, SSP with the Cyber Bureau of Nepal reportedly confirmed his arrest to a local publication, adding that he was arrested under the Electronic Transaction Act.
“We have received complaints against him. We have, therefore, arrested him with the permission of the court. Further investigation is on,” he said.
In a Facebook post from 10 April, Pathak had reportedly compared the former PM, called Prachanda locally, with American tech giant Bill Gates, by labelling the former ‘Kill Gates’ and accused Dahal of making money “in the name of revolution”.
Radio Nepal board member Pathak’s arrest came days after the Nepal government’s broadcasting organisation made headlines for removing an interview with another former PM Janata Samajbadi Party leader Baburam Bhattarai. The ministry of communication and technology reportedly sought a clarification on words used to talk about present PM KP Sharma Oli.
(With inputs from The Wire)
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