Dinesh Tripathi In New York

Date: Sun, 8 Jan 2006 12:44:23 -0500
From: "Dinesh Tripathi"
Subject: TALK ON NEPALI HUMAN RIGHTS IN NEW YORK

Dear Sir,

National Lawyers guild New York chapter has invited me to speak about human rights situation of Nepal. National lawyers Guild is umbrella organization of American lawyers,law professor'sand law academics. I am sending you a news report for publication. I hope it will be useful for your readers. Thank you.

With best regards
Dinesh Tripathi

TALK PROGRAMME ON NEPALI HUMAN RIGHTS IN NEW YORK

6 JAN. NEW YORK,

Advocate Dinesh Tripathi address the gathering of National Lawyers guild of New York chapter. On the occasion he spoke that---there is total non-existent of rule of law in Nepal. Although constitution is not formally with- drawn but it is totally violated and disregarded. There is massive violation of human rights law and International humanitarian Law from both sides. State has became arbitrary and there is state sponsor terrorism. King has no intention to restore democracy and peace that's why he totally disregarded and did not responded or reciprocated the cease fire declare by Maoist. Security forces is working with full impunity and without any accountability's. Death, disappearance and torture has became daily routine of the Nepali life. There is harsh censorship impose on the media. Black law have been introduce to suppress media freedom guaranteed by constitution. There is frequent mid-night attack on community radios which are ( FM ) the quickest source of information for common people. Economic blocked has also been impose on media. Journalist are facing frequent threat from the both sides. Several journalist have been arrested by government and killed by Maoist. Although political parties are not formally banned but they have been marginalinalize by king and without representation of valid party cabinet had been constituted under his own chairmanship which is blatant and clear violation of constitution. In the cabinet people who have no mass base and people who have been convicted by court had been inducted in the cabinet. Without people's support and popular legitimacy king is running a government which is the clear disregard of the cardinal principle of democracy that "No taxation without representation." Notion of independence of judiciary is also massively undermined. Court system is also working under the shadow of militarization. There is non-compliance with court order and court have been packed by pro-king people. Court is no longer able to uphold the supremacy of the constitution and liberty and dignity of the citizen.

In this critical and most critical juncture of our history and we need a active support and solidarity of International community. Struggle of human rights is global one and it is global issue. Violation of human rights and freedom is in one country should be considered the threat against all people and all nation. But Nepal has became a kind of forgotten country. International civil society and community must play a active role to establish a human rights and democratic peace in Nepal. International legal action is the need of the our in Nepal because national mechanism is failed and became ineffective to protect peoples rights and failed to made the human Right violator accountable. International criminal court must take up and it must be allow to assume it's jurisdiction on Nepal so massive violator and perpetrator of human rights could be face trial and impunity could be ended. International community can work in this issue.

National lawyers guild is umbrella organization of American lawyers,academics and judges.

In The News

Monarchy should not compete with political parties: Indian envoy NepalNews
Maoist leader Yadav and student leader KC on hunger strike
UML condemns ‘infiltration’ in party’s program; MoD concerned over media reports
Hydropower Invest Mart to be held in Kathmandu
RJP not to participate in municipal polls
Government committed to hold free and fair election: Ministers
Guerrillas bomb local govt office in mid-western Nepal Xinhua, China
Ousted Nepal PM stages comeback Times of India, India
Nepal Condemns Army Infiltration Into Party Meet Himalayan Times, Nepal
CPN-UML leader denounces Royal Army's action in Nepal NewKerala.com, India
Royal Nepal Army soldiers in Maoists disguise exposed Webindia123
Indian leaders want chaos in Nepal: Satchit Nepaleyes, Nepal
Polls Won't be Cancelled, Says Satchit Himalayan Times
“Unholy Alliance” of Parties-Maoist for Power: Minister Ansari NewsLine Nepal
Fears of Renewed Conflict Affect Economies of Sri Lanka, Nepal Voice of America

Visitors

8 January

04:55

Tiscali Networks Italy, Torino, Italy

8 January

05:59

Telefónica SA, Spain

8 January

07:10

OptusNet, Australia

8 January

08:04

Sify Limited, India

8 January

08:43

Mercantile Communications Pvt. Ltd., Nepal

8 January

10:02

BellSouth Inc., United States

8 January

10:05

Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany

8 January

11:48

Swipnet, Sweden

8 January

14:04

Duke University, Durham, United States

8 January

14:14

City of Philadelphia, United States

8 January

16:29

Versatel Deutschland GmbH, Germany

8 January

17:02

Smart Telecom Holdings, Ireland

8 January

18:02

National Internet Backbone, India

8 January

18:07

San Francisco State University, San Francisco, United States

Nepal Needs To Be Hitting The World Headlines: Write To The Media

To:

editor@people.com,
letters@usmagazine.com,
letters@rollingstone.com,
nightline@abc.com,
2020@abc.com,
JohnStossel@abcnews.com,
thisweek@abc.com,
lisa.stark@abc.com,
bill.geddie@abc.com,
mark.halperin@abc.com,
abc.news.magazines@abc.com,
evening@cbsnews.com,
ftn@cbsnews.com,
60m@cbsnews.com,
aaron.brown@turner.com,
crossfire@cnn.com,
catherine.callaway@turner.com,
jeff.greenfield@cnn.com,
robert.novak@turner.com,
bill.schneider@turner.com,
lou.dobbs@turner.com,
candy.crowley@turner.com,
dateline@nbc.com,
today@nbc.com,
world@msnbc.com,
joe@msnbc.com,
hardball@msnbc.com,
morning@npr.org

Hi.

You must know Nepal is one of the three hot spots on the planet right now. There has been a civil war in the country for a decade now. And there is a decisive democracy movement on its way in the country that promises to restore both peace and democracy. Nepal also might figure in the US elections for 2006 and 2008 as the Democrats might offer the progressive way to spread democracy in the world to compete with the neocon way like in Iraq. The Nepal way might apply to the rest of the Arab world as well to China down the line.

Nepal needs to be hitting the world headlines for the news value itself, but also because the coverage will aid the democracy movement itself. As a country of 27 million brave people, Nepal deserves the spotlight.

So far there has been little or no coverage of Nepal in the world media. As a matter of fairness that needs to change. Your viewers have a right to get better informed. What happens to Nepal affects them.

The seven party alliance in Nepal is to hold major protest rallies on January 12 in Janakpur and on January 20 in Kathmandu so as to foil the fake municipality elections slated for February 8 by the illegitimate regime that has been in power since the 2/1 coup last year. The elections are supposed to earn it legitimacy from the unconvinced international community. I believe the world media needs to widely cover this showdown.

I hope I have managed to appeal to your journalistic instincts.

Thank you.

Paramendra Bhagat
Nepali Democracy Activist
Brooklyn, NY

(Thanks to DFNYC for the idea. Write to one email address at a time. It has been the DFNYC experience that it works. Look for other addresses to write to, and not just in the US. India and Europe could be other major targets.)

Sample Letters:

1. I sent this email to aaronbrown -at- turner.com:

Mr. Brown and fellow journalists,

I feel as a matter of fairness, equality, and journalistic ethics, CNN
should feature more coverage of the earthquake in Pakistan. While
tragedies such as the tsunami and Hurrican Katrina resulted in many
donations from individuals for relief for the victims, the recent earthquake
in Asia has not achieved nearly enough donations to take care of the
victims. After the initial earthquake and the recent aftershocks, so
many people are still sick and homeless.

After seeing the difference in the media treatment between other
disasters and this disaster, I cannot help but wonder if the news media,
and therefore the public, are discriminating against Pakistani citizens
because they are Muslim. I think this could be a story in itself for
CNN, and there is certainly enough newsworthy video footage.

Thank you,
Tracey Denton

2. I sent this message through the webform feedback at CBSNews.com. (Scroll down, click on "Contact Us," third button in the blue bar, and a window with a webform will open.)

Dear CBS News journalists,

As a matter of fairness, equality, and journalistic integrity, CBS News should be featuring more coverage of the earthquake and aftershocks in Pakistan that have left people homeless, sick, and facing a brutal winter. Surely it is important that your viewers see images of Pakistan before they see the image of Camilla Parker Bowles wearing a tiara on loan from Queen Elizabeth.

Yesterday, October 26, 2005, I clicked on the "World" section of CBSNews.com, expecting to find a story about how donations to the Pakistani earthquake relief efforts are not nearly high enough to help all the victims. This story should have been near the top of the list. Instead, it wasn't there at all. And yet, a picture of Camilla and Prince Charles at a royal banquet was front and center, because Camilla was wearing a diamond tiara - loaned by Queen Elizabeth II. I understand that your readers may in fact be interested in the internal workings of the Royal Family. But surely, with all the coverage you gave to victims of the Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, it is only appropriate to include more coverage of the earthquake in Pakistan. Coverage in the media, especially with pictures, encourages more people to donate to relief organizations.

I cannot help but feel, after seeing the media's treatment of the Tsunami, Katrina, and the Pakistan earthquake, that there is a bias in the mainstream media because the victims are Muslim. This could be a news story in itself.

Sincerely,

Tracey Denton

In The News

Ousted Nepal PM stages comeback - from jail Webindia123, India
BJP deserts Nepal King? The Statesman
Nepal king loses Hindu card in India NewKerala.com
Nepal: NC (D) Begins Convention, Deuba Pledges Sacrifice from Jail NewsLine Nepal
EU disappointed over Nepal's failure to reciprocate truce Hindu
Indian lobby to raise Nepal Maoist arrests with PM NewKerala.com

1. Nepal police open fire on protesters Reuters Video - Jan 26 3:01 PM
2. Protests in Nepal CNN - Jan 23 5:23 AM
3. Protesters battle police in Nepal Reuters Video - Jan 21 6:28 AM