National
Call for Dixit’s immediate release
Civil society leaders and journalists said on Monday that the arrest of Kanak Mani Dixit, chairperson of Sajha Yatayat, by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), was derived from personal vendetta against him. They demanded his immediate release.Civil society leaders and journalists said on Monday that the arrest of Kanak Mani Dixit, chairperson of Sajha Yatayat, by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA), was derived from personal vendetta against him. They demanded his immediate release.
In a statement issued on Monday, 36 prominent personalities, including Sushil Pyakurel, adviser to the President, former TU vice chancellor Kedar Bhakta Mathema, former lawmaker Nilambar Acharya and former ambassador Novel Kishore Rai among others, said that the CIAA has gone beyond its jurisdiction in arresting someone who has never held a salaried post of government authority.
They have insisted that the manner in which the CIAA arrested Dixit shows it was a vengeful act.
Rights activist Kapil Shrestha, Anup Pahari, Charan Prasai and Subodh Pyakurel, academicians Pratyush Onta, Hari Sharma and Rajendra Pradhan and journalists Mohan Mainali, Thomas Bell, and Subina Shrestha among others have signed the statement. Meanwhile, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) also expressed concern over Dixit’s arrest, which it said “raises serious concerns about freedom of expression and political dissent in Nepal”. Journalist and rights activist Dixit was taken into custody by the CIAA. “Kanak Mani Dixit’s arrest is a worrying development and a setback for freedom of expression in Nepal,” said Evelyn Balais-Serrano, Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA. “The manner and timing of his arrest seems to indicate this is a case of personal vendetta and intimidation tactics,” added Balais-Serrano.