Issue 1, March 2009

Namaste
Quarterly Newsletter
Peace Brigades International Nepal

Tibetan protesters outside

the Chinese Embassy

Editorial p2 Interview with p7

Dharmendra Jha,
The Situation of p3 Director of FNJ
Journalists in Nepal
Interview with p7
Strikes: the voice of p4
UNESCO
the people?
Spreading Peace p9
Interview with p5 Through Art
Kokila
 Editorial

In this edition of Namaste, PBI would like to emphasise the worrying situation of journalists in
Nepal. According to reports1 the murders of at least five journalists remain unsolved in the
country, four since 2006. The current environment of continuous threat is leading to self-
censorship among journalists. This is especially true after the murder in January of journalist
Uma Singh, who was killed in her own home. Despite the lack of verified information on the
motives behind the murder, the International Federation of Journalists’ investigation asserts
that there is little question that her work and reporting as a journalist was a major reason for
the killing. The International Media Mission states that attacks on and harassment of media
have a ‘chilling effect’2 on press freedom. Journalists and reporters are being forced into self-
censorship, depriving the general public of its right to information in a time of political transi-
tion.
Particularly worrisome is the situation of women journalists, who are increasingly withdrawing
from their profession as a result of the lack of security. One woman journalist and human
rights defender, accompanied by PBI, states that she is the only woman in her profession in the
district where she works. The current exodus of women from journalism as a profession will
make it harder for women to become journalists in the future.
The high level of impunity for past and ongoing abuses continues to be the norm, and this con-
tributes greatly to the current insecure situation in Nepal. After free and fair elections in 2008,
it is even more important that steps are taken to address the destructive culture of impunity in
Nepal.
1 Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), www.cpj.org, Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) www.fnjnepal.org
2 International Media Mission, joint statement: http://www.i-m-s.dk/files/publications/Nepal%20Mission%20Statement%20_8%
20Feb%2009_%20Final%20ENG.pdf

PBI Nepal Funders:

PBI Field Officer Raghu Menon during a
protective accompaniment to Advocacy BMZ ( CPS)
Forum, in background, interviewing a
victim in Morang District
German Foreign Ministry
I.C.C.O
Misereor
Norway Foreign Ministry
Primates Relief Fund
Rausing Trust
Stiftung Umverteilen
Tinsley Foundation
Weltwaerts
Zvik
PBI- Australia
PBI-Canada
PBI-Germany
PBI-Italy
PBI-Netherlands
PBI-Norway
PBI-Switzerland
Peace Brigades
International does not take PBI-UK
any responsibility for
statements made by thirds PBI-USA
parties in this publication

2
 The Situation of Journalists in Nepal
In Nepal’s struggle for democ-
racy, journalists and others who
work for press freedom face
threats that are severe and grow-
ing.
The Federation of Nepali Jour-
nalists (FNJ) recorded 342 press
freedom violations in 2008 alone,
highlighting an escalation in the
number of physical attacks on
journalists and media houses.
Four journalists - Uma Singh, J.P.
Joshi, Birendra Sah and Pushkar
Bahadur Shrestha - have been
killed since 20061.
The Comprehensive Peace
Agreement between the Govern-
ment of Nepal and Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist) of 22 No-
vember 2006 commits the parties
to democratic values, competitive
multiparty governance, civil liber-
ties, and human rights, including
respect for full press freedom and
rule of law. On 1 March 2009,
Maoist Chairman and Prime Min-
ister Pushpa Kamal Dahal
(Prachanda) reiterated the gov-
ernment’s commitment, though
remarked that the recent attacks
on journalists and the flourishing
culture of impunity were leftovers
from the 10 year conflict2.
One of the most serious attacks
on a media outlet took place on
21 December 2008. A group of
around 50 people led by Ramesh
Panta, the president of the Maoist
-affiliated All Nepal Hotel and
Restaurant Workers’ Union
(ANHRWU), entered the meet-
ing hall of Himalmedia’s Hattiban
office vandalizing the premises
and injuring at least 12 senior
journalists and other senior-level
employees. The union had threat-
ened Himalmedia for allegedly
writing against workers in its lat-
est issue. Earlier, they had
torched the copies of the news
magazine and vandalized the dis-
tribution office3.
On 23 December, the Maoist-
affiliated All Nepal Communica-
tions, Printing and Publications
Workers Union (ANCPPWU)
unit in Biratnagar staged a sit-in at
the main entrance of the regional
office of Kantipur Publications.
Union members prevented distri-
bution of the national issues of
the newspaper. The union work-
ers demanded increases in salary
as fixed by the government4. On
29 December the government
and the FNJ expressed commit-
ment to press freedom and
agreed to resolve the problems
between the management and the
labor union within a week. On
the same day, Maoist unionists
ended their siege5.
342 Press Freedom Violations in 2008
Since 2006 four journalists have been
killed
No one has been prosecuted to this day
The attack on Himalmedia and
the siege of the Kantipur office
were condemned by several na-
tional and international organisa-
tions. Jacqueline Park, Director
of the International Federation of
Journalists (IFJ) Asia-Pacific stated:
"This attack on Himalmedia is an
attack on press freedom and has
nothing to do with the defense of
journalism or the public inter-
est."6
The brutal murder in January
2009 of Uma Singh7, a 26-year-old
woman journalist from Janakpur,
raised many questions about the
security situation of journalists,
especially women, in Nepal. An
FNJ fact-finding mission found
that journalists in western dis-
tricts have been working under
"psychological terror" due to
threats issued by various armed
groups and cadres of Unified
CPN (Maoist). Women journalists
in particular feel insecure and
hopeless after the murder of Uma
Singh. According to IFJ and FNJ
sources, many women are leaving
the profession both due to per-
sonal fear and in response to fam-
ily pressure. The majority of
women journalists are employed
in local radio stations, the media
with the largest audience in Ne-
pal. Because of this, radio jour-
nalists in general, and women
journalists in particular, face the
highest threats.
In a press statement, the Inter-
national Media Mission (IMM) ex-
pressed concerns about the at-
tacks on media outlets, about the
fact that those responsible are
not held accountable and about
the vulnerable position of women
journalists. The IMM stated that:
“as of now, not one person has
been convicted for a criminal act
against journalists and media out-
lets, and the IMM calls on the
Prime Minister and Government
to follow up their commitment to
end impunity.”8
PBI meets with FNJ regularly to
exchange information on the
situation of journalists in Nepal.
In January PBI Nepal volunteers
accompanied a woman journalist9
after she received threats and had
to be evacuated to Kathmandu.
PBI continues to monitor her
security now that she is back in
her region. PBI supports journal-
ists who defend human rights
through their work and will re-
spond to their requests for ac-
companiments in the future.
1. IMM, 8 Feb 2009, Joint Statement: Interna-
tional Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression
Mission: Rapid Response Assessment Mission to
Nepal
2. Kantipur report, 6 Feb 2009, PM Dahal asks
not to doubt govt commitment on free press
3. Himalayan Times, 21 Dec 2008, Himalmedia
staff, editors beaten up
4. Kantipur report, 23 Dec 2008, Maoist union
stages sit-in at Biratnagar Kantipur office
5. Kantipur report, 29 Dec 2008, Kantipur
siege ends
6. Kantipur report, 23 Dec 2009, Intl media
bodies deplore Maoist attack on Himalmedia;
urge nonpartisan investigation,
7. Kantipur Report, 2 Feb 2009, FNJ: Women
journalists face psychological terror
8. IMM, 8 Feb 2009, Joint Statement
9. See the interview with KD in this edition of
Namaste, p 5 3

Strikes: the Voice of the
People?
The culture of strikes,
‘bandhas’, in Nepal dates back to
before the first People’s Move-
ment in 1990. It is a long stand-
ing tradition of raising issues by
way of mass street action. A
recent article in the Nepali
Times1 showed that there was a
bandha every single day in Feb-
ruary 2009, either at local or
national level, lasting from a day
to one week or more until
agreement was reached or com-
pensation given. This culture of
strikes can partly be attributed
to the inability to address politi-
cal, economic, cultural and social
issues affecting the country
through appropriate policies, the
justice system, development and
political dialogue.
Nepal is currently witnessing
an increase in street action as a
way to highlight ethnic issues
and dissatisfaction. Madhesi, the
main ethnic group in the Tarai,
and Limbu ethnic groups have
been calling for the right to self-
determination and ethnic auton-
omy since long before the Con-
stituent Assembly elections in
April 2008. After unsatisfactory
agreements or lack of implemen-
tation of agreements by the gov-
ernment, both ethnic groups
started using bandhas to deliver
their message, not always peace-
fully2.
After the Nepal Government
allocated quotas for Madhesi
inclusion in the public service
sector in response to previous
demands and protests of Madhe-
sis, other ethnic groups reacted.
In March 2009 the Tharu ethnic
group blocked the Terai-Madhes
region (all of southern Nepal)
with an indefinite strike.
This series of protests was not
always peaceful. In the mid-west
Tharu activists torched several
vehicles, including ambulances,
for defying the bandha, while
three Village Development
Committee offices in the far-
western region were burnt to
ashes.3 After two weeks of the
strike the govern-
ment and represen-
tatives of agitating
Tharu community
signed an agree-
ment4.
The Prime Minister,
Pushpa Kamal Da-
hal, has previously
expressed his con-
cerns about the
problems of the
many strikes in Ne-
pal: “How can we
build a new Nepal
by enforcing band-
has and strike with
Road in Ilam,
eastern Nepal
Street protests
in Kathmandu
any pretext? We fought for long
for the rights of self -
determination, autonomy, feder-
alism, and proportionate and
inclusive system” stated the
Prime Minister, “As a result the
country is now a federal repub-
lic. The government has a policy
for inclusive representation of
women, ethnic communities,
dalits, Madhesis, Muslims, physi-
cally challenged and backward
communities and areas in the
administration, police, army and
health, judiciary and education
sector.”5 Despite these affirma-
tions in January 2009, the coun-
try is crippled by frequent band-
has and it is the Nepali public
that suffers most during strikes,
due to transport obstruction,
and food, water, and fuel short-
ages, in an economy that is al-
ready unstable.
1.Nepali Times, 6 Mar 2009, Every-
day a bandha
2.Ekantipur, 12Mar 2009, Journos
boycott Limbuwan news
3.My Republica, 8 Feb 2009, Banda
Paralyses Life, Kathmandu Post, 9
Feb, Banda Paralyses life in Terai,
4. Nepalnew.com, 15 Mar 2009,
Govt-Tharu representatives sign six
point pact; Tharu agitation withdrawn
5.The Rising Nepal, 25 Jan 2009, PM
stresses self reliance, end to impunity
4
 Interview with Kokila:
Woman, Journalist, Human Rights Defender
Kokila is a young journalist and re-
porter for Ilam-based Kanchenjunga
FM radio station and a district cen-
tral committee member of the Na-
tional Alliance for Women Human
Rights Defenders in Ilam in eastern
Nepal. On 17 January 2009 she
published an article about Limbuwan
groups1 levying illegal road taxes on
the highway in the eastern region.
After the story was broadcast on
local radio, Kokila received a number
of threatening calls on her mobile
phone and landline. The caller
claimed that Kokila’s reporting had
tarnished the image of the Limbu-
wan movement for autonomy, and
he threatened to kidnap her. Due to
an increased feeling of insecurity
following the brutal murder of the
journalist Uma Singh2 earlier in Janu-
ary, Kokila fled Ilam. PBI was then
requested to accompany her back to
Ilam and to socialize international
presence and attention with the local
authorities. Here is what Kokila has
to say about the general situation of
journalists and Human Rights De-
fenders in Nepal and her own ex-
periences as a woman working in
these areas.
PBI: What challenges are you
facing as a woman, a journal-
ist, and a Human Rights De-
fender?
Kokila: Journalists have to report
the truth and facts. Our reporting
may disappoint some groups or
individuals, which makes us more
vulnerable to threat and intimida-
tion. These days, journalists are
working on the edge of a knife:
we report about crimes but no
one takes action against the per-
petrators. The police are unable
to take action and to provide se-
curity for us. It is said that jour-
nalists are the fourth organ of the
state but the state is not acting
responsibly towards our security
and protection.
Working as a Human Rights De-
fender (HRD) is even tougher
than being a journalist. There are
many cases of domestic violence
against women in the east and
whenever we’ve reported on
them and raised our voice, it has
gone unheard, and at times we
received threats from the perpe-
trators themselves. As HRDs we
are not safe and are unable to
carry out our work freely.
Working as a woman is very dis-
couraging. In rural Nepali society
we are not taken seriously. This is
why we have a very small number
of women journalists. In Ilam, I
am the only woman actively
working as a journalist. When-
ever we have to work late with a
male colleague, people perceive
this negatively and spread mali-
cious rumours. Psychologically
this is challenging. In spite of this
I think we should stand up as an
example, and show that women
are equal to men.
What motivates you?
From a young age I worried about
issues faced by women in this pa-
triarchal society, where women
are confined to the kitchen. I
used to think: ‘How can we
change and improve the fate of
women so that they are liber-
ated?’ I then started working in
order to change the mindset of
society towards women and to
bring out grievances of rural
women.
What is your opinion on the
situation of journalists follow-
ing the peace agreement?
I think it is worse than during the
conflict. The culture of impunity
is spreading. There have been
threats, intimidations, attacks,
abductions and killings to journal-
ists but no one has been held ac-
countable, no action has been
taken against perpetrators. The
state is turning a blind eye.
How do you see the future
for journalists?
If the trend and culture of impu-
nity prevails then there will be no
security for HRDs and journalists.
The general public will be de-
prived of their basic human rights,
and right to information.
What is your experience of
PBI?
I am very happy and thankful to
PBI for its work. It accompanied
me to the region where I work at
a time when I was very upset and
scared. Since then I have not ex-
perienced further problems with
that particular group. Probably
the presence of PBI created a
good environment. It helped me a
lot for my safety and security.
In all districts of the eastern re-
gion, journalists are facing difficult
times when carrying out their
daily work. The situation of
HRDs is not very different. I think
PBI should visit these areas fre-
quently, meet local journalists and
HRDs and continuously assess
the situation in the region.
1.Limbuwan groups: political groups op-
erating in the eastern region of Nepal
demanding Limbuwan, a federal autono-
mous province east of river Arun.
2. CNN.com, Jan 12, Nepalese Journalist
Hacked to Death
5
 Interview with Dharmendra Jha, Director of FNJ
The Federation of Nepalese Journal-
ists (FNJ)1 is a nationwide umbrella
organisation representing print and
visual media in Nepal. FNJ has
branch offices and associate organi-
sations across the country. With
the deteriorating situation of free-
dom of expression and press free-
dom, as well as increasing attacks
on the media, FNJ is active in voicing
its concerns and denouncing the
growing culture of impunity. Dhar-
mendra Jha was elected president of
FNJ in 2008. PBI interviewed him to
find out more about the current
situation for journalists in Nepal.
PBI: How has the situation of
journalists been since the
elections in April 2008?
Dharmendra Jha: The situation
and condition of journalists is de-
teriorating day by day. All over
Nepal, journalists are receiving
threats and media houses are be-
ing vandalized. The degree of
impunity is very high. We are not
aware that anyone has been taken
into custody for these cases.
Anyone can think that if they beat
or kill a journalist, there will be
no consequences. After the elec-
tion, we were hoping for im-
provements but we only received
promises, and nothing has been
implemented. Freedom of ex-
pression and press freedom are in
danger.
You mentioned threats. Has
the type and level of threats
changed over time?
Now many women journalists are
targeted. We believe that as
journalists, criticism is part of our
job. Many people are not happy
to hear or listen to criticisms, and
especially after the election put
them in power, they are not will-
ing to tolerate critical news mate-
rial published or broadcast from
any media source. This is where
the threats come from, and
nowadays their number is very
high.
Women are now a target,
not before. Why this change?
If we compare print and radio, we
find many more women journal-
ists in the latter. Radio is a very
popular media, especially in the
countryside. This also has an in-
fluence on the high
number of women
employed here.
They are a target
for those who feel
strongly against
women working in
radio. If women see
journalism as a dan-
gerous profession,
they are likely to
prevent their kids
from becoming
journalists. Many Peaceful journalist protests, Kathmandu
women journalists (photo courtesy of FNJ)
now are leaving or
thinking about leaving their pro-
fession. If they leave the profes-
sion now, it may be much harder
for women in the next generation
to become journalists.
Have you noticed regional
differences as far as threats
and journalists’ situation?
In the mid-Terai, especially Parsa
to Sunsari district and also in the
mid-plain, main-Terai, the danger
is high. Many armed groups, iden-
tified and un-identified, recog-
nized and un-recognized, prevail
here. The condition between
journalists working in the Terai
and those outside differs; in Kath-
mandu we are almost safe. But in
the Terai not a single journalist
can say that he or she is safe.
Likewise, in the eastern region,
various groups are active and
threatening journalists, who do
not feel safe.
1 www.fnjnepal.org
You mentioned armed
groups. Can you tell us
more?
Why they emerged, what their
goals are, what exactly they want
- we don’t know. We think that
politics is slightly shifting into
criminalisation and this is shifting
into a trend towards conflict.
We think that many recognized
political parties provide security
to such groups, either as a party
or individually. They are going to
protect or are already protecting
those groups. That is why impu-
nity is increasing.
Our goal is that if anywhere in
the world, not just Nepal, any
group is fighting for its rights, we
should support them. But you
have to proceed in the correct
way; you have to seriously con-
vince people of you and your
rights. If you use any kind of
weapon to help convince, then
we will not tolerate it. In Nepal,
if armed groups have any cause,
or any basic right they want to
defend, we ask them to please
come and talk, talk to the govern-
ment and society, and we will be
supportive. But if you want to
create a state of fear, or use any
kind of weapon, if you want to kill
journalists, then we cannot and
will not tolerate it. {cont. next
page}
6
Interview with Dharmendra Jha, Director of FNJ continued
So you link this to the
current uprising of ethnic
groups, such as Tharu,
Limbuwan..
Yes, they have a right to
raise their voice, and we sup-
port any right-based move-
ment. But if people are
threatened in the name of
such movement, if impunity
increases, then we can’t ac-
cept it. But to act peacefully,
that is your right.
There seems to be an
understanding that you
can only reach your
rights by taking up arms,
as the Maoists did.
It is happening, it is a prob-
lem and it is not a good cul-
ture, not the right way to
demand rights. Maoists used
this theory and after seeing
this, many groups are trying
to imitate them. I think this
is not a good solution and
we need to change our mind
set. If we are responsible
towards society, we should
deliver our ideas to society
peacefully. But if we use any
kind of violence while doing
this, then we violate other
people’s rights.
If you were in govern-
ment, is there anything
you would do for journal-
ists especially, to change
this culture?
We need to provide profes-
sional skills and moral sup-
port to local journalists
working in the field. Now
that the CA is writing the
new constitution we have to
ensure that press freedom
and freedom of expression
are included. We should be
the bridge between the peo-
ple and CA members.
What do you think of the
quality of information
today?
In general if we analyse
Nepalese media, it is reliable
and accurate. In journalism
we say that you have infor-
mation, misinformation and
distortion. If you are not able
to give the right information,
you don’t have to write and
misinform or distort. The
problem we face is self-
censorship, especially in the
Terai. Journalists in that
area are not going to misin-
form you. It is correct that
they are not able to give ap-
propriate information, but
they are not going to give
misinformation.
Some journalists in
Banke commented that
they would like FNJ to
act when journalists get
threats not later, when
journalists are killed.
Would you like to com-
ment? “When we
We are working for journal- demand our
ists and you know that every government to
event we organise, we try to ensure press
do well. FNJ is an umbrella
freedom rights,
organisation, with more than
8000 journalists, so some- when we call to
times we fail to serve all of end impunity, it
them is not only on
What do you see as the behalf of
role of internationals at journalists, we
present in Nepal?
do this for all
They can play a vital role.
This is a universal issue. It is the people of
the duty of the world com- Nepal.”
munity to secure these Dharmendra
rights everywhere, not just Jha, FNJ
Nepal.
When we demand our gov-
ernment to ensure press
freedom rights, when we call
to end impunity, it is not
only on behalf of journalists,
we do this for all the people
of Nepal.

Interview with UNESCO

UNESCO is the only UN agency with a mandate to pro-
mote freedom of expression, press freedom, independ-
ence and pluralism of the media, all seen as basic hu-
man rights. PBI spoke to Serena Pepino in Kathmandu,
Head of Unit & Program Officer, Communication and
Information.
UNESCO’s mandate to promote freedom of
expression and press freedom, what does this
mean in Nepal?
Freedom of expression anywhere means guarantee-
ing all people a voice. In Nepal this is particularly
needed, especially now that the constitution drafting
process is approaching. We hope that freedom of
expression will no longer be limited to some parts of
the country and will start becoming a reality all me-
dia workers can rely upon. This means providing
them with the safety they need in order to work
properly, pursuing the investigations and processes
to end impunity in the country, and the commitment
from the government to guarantee such a right
(Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights), to every media worker in the country.
UNESCO was part of the last International
Media Mission (IMM) in February 2009. What
was UNESCO’s involvement?
We jointly decided to run a rapid assessment on the
current press freedom in Nepal. Our involvement
was go around and speak to any person, any institu-
tion and any official related to press freedom to un-
derstand the reasons behind the incidents especially
of the previous six months, including the murder of
Uma Singh1.
1.CNN.com, 12 Jan 2006, Nepalese Journalist Hacked to Death 7
Interview with UNESCO continued
The IMM report mentions
links between political parties
and some perpetrators of
violent acts. What does this
mean for the future?
If such links increase, we are go-
ing to see a much more politi-
cized and much less free media in
Nepal. In the IMM we affirmed
that these linkages are
not clear in all cases,
though it has happened
and that is what we are
concerned about, as well
as the fact that such link-
ages have increased in
the past six months.
This may be due to the
fact that Nepal is going
through a transitional phase and a
confused political situation, so
everybody resorts to their own
solutions without looking to the
government for guidance.
What is the role of the inter-
national community on the
topic of journalism?
UNESCO collaborates closely
with many international organiza-
tions, the UN family and also IN-
GOs, governments and civil soci-
ety. UNESCO understands the
need for the media to have link-
ages to all these different actors.
The media is, after all, the Fourth
Estate so it is important that it
has support from each side of
society.
The international community un-
derstands what Nepal is going
through and works well in moni-
toring the situation, perhaps in a
less constant way than the com-
munity within Nepal does since
access to information is difficult
outside the country. For this rea-
son it is hard to keep track of all
incidents on a daily basis. How-
ever the international community
outside Nepal does a great deal
of work in promoting Nepal’s
freedom of the press and de-
nouncing incidents to a much
wider audience.
How does UNESCO respond
to the recent FNJ
(Federation of Nepali Jour-
nalists) affirmation that jour-
nalists in various western dis-
tricts have been working un-
der ‘psychological terror’,
especially women?
We respond with concern and
awareness as we know that this is
IMM meets with Nepali Congress President G.P. Koirala
(photo courtesy of UNESCO)
going on, not just in the western
part of the country but in the
whole of the Terai region as well.
Our immediate response after
the IMM was to put together a
proposal for training women jour-
nalist in the Terai, where insecu-
rity is high. We decided to ad-
dress FNJ’s research results with
a training session that would in-
clude a component on personal
security.
The psychological component is
playing a big role. As of February
2009 approximately 70% of
women journalists in the Terai
had left their profession after the
Uma Singh murder. Pressures
are forcing media workers –
women in particular since they
are more vulnerable and subject
to attacks - to leave their profes-
sion, which means that the level
of media freedom is decreasing
with fewer and fewer reporters
willing to report on sensitive is-
sues.
How has the Comprehensive
Peace Agreement (CPA) af-
fected the quality and free-
dom of information emanat-
ing from Nepal?
In the last two years UNESCO
launched a study of media free-
dom since the CPA. This study
showed that there was a slight
improvement in the media free-
dom situation, with a shift in the
type of incidents occurring. After
the CPA a framework was built,
violent acts could no longer be
done openly, so other channels to
pressure the media have been
found and were successful in
some cases. In 2008 we found
that politicization
and self-censorship
were increasing and
threats and harass-
ment towards jour-
nalists had also in-
creased.
What actions
would you like to
see the govern-
ment of Nepal carry out in
order to guarantee freedom
of expression and journalists’
rights?
The problem with attacks, threats
and harassments is that they are
not being investigated. This is hav-
ing a ‘chilling effect’ on press free-
dom. All organizations expect the
government to follow up on all
cases that have been dropped and
those which have been not inves-
tigated yet. We urge the govern-
ment and political parties to im-
plement all of the recommenda-
tions for freedom of expression
and press freedom that have been
outlined in a document, ‘Agenda
for Change’, put together by Arti-
cle 19, Freedom Forum and FNJ
and endorsed by UNESCO.
Do you see obstacles to these
actions moving forward?
It is mainly a question of willing-
ness and real commitment. The
only obstacles are for the media,
which is unable to keep doing
what it is meant to do unless the
government ends the culture of
impunity in the country. Obsta-
cles could be disagreements be-
tween political parties, stake-
holders and CA members about
improving the current press free-
dom situation in Nepal.
8
 Krystal (PBI Nepal)
left, and Katherine
(PBI USA)
PBI-USA organized an event on
Thursday, January 29th at the
Peace Mural in Georgetown,
Washington DC. The Peace Mu-
ral is a 600 foot mural that con-
nects concepts of war, peace,
refugees, justice, torture, and
displacement through the eyes
of Huong, a Vietnamese refugee
painting for peace. The USA
country group invited guest
speakers to discuss PBI’s role
and raise awareness about the
current situation of Human
Rights Defenders (HRDs) in Ne-
pal. The audience was made up
of PBI supporters and those
who wanted to hear more about
the organization and what the
field volunteers are doing in Ne-
pal. Guest speakers at the
Georgetown event included T.
Kumar, Advocacy Director for
Asia with Amnesty International,
and Suvash Darnell, a fellowship
award winner with National En-
dowment for Democracy.
The artist herself spoke about
her exhibition and how we are
all interconnected in trying to
spread the message of non-
violence and understanding all
over the world. She made a
deep impression on everyone as
she briefly shared the story of
how she started painting. She
was a journalist, but after she
fled to the U.S. in 1975 as a
Vietnam War refugee, she de-
cided the best way to get her
message across was through art.
She could no longer keep silent
about the suffering she endured
during the war, and she began a
life-long journey to depict the
Spreading Peace Through Art
In Georgetown, human rights and art go hand in hand
atrocities she had witnessed.
As a current PBI-Nepal field vol-
unteer, I felt privileged to take
part in this event. I had previ-
ously served eight months on
the team in Nepal, and was
touring around the U.S. and
Canada on a speaking tour to
raise awareness about the con-
cerns of Nepali HRDs. From
the moment I walked into the
gallery, I could feel a rush of pain
and sorrow from all of the past
conflicts all over the world. A
few examples include murals
depicting child soldiers who had
lost their innocence, detainees
facing torture and humiliation at
Guantanamo Bay and mothers
weeping over their dead chil-
dren. Huong also took quota-
tions, poems, and sayings that
people had sent to her and in-
corporated them into her work.
There were even some pieces
where observers were encour-
aged to write with a marker
how the images made them feel.
It was a truly amazing exhibit,
and I was honored to have such
an artist present at our PBI
event. Huong was able to bring
Artist Huong’s
Peace Mural -
Georgetown
out our sympathy and unite us
all on the most basic of human
levels through her message of
peace to the world.
After all of the speakers were
finished, I gathered enough cour-
age to speak to Huong and try
to express my appreciation for
what she is doing. Huong was
very approachable, easy to talk
with, sociable and charismatic. I
will never forget one of the
things she told me:
“You people [meaning PBI volun-
teers and other activists] are the
real heroes, out there trying to
save peoples’ lives.”
It was an exchange of compli-
ments with a mutual understand-
ing and respect for one another
and the work we are each doing.
The connection I made with
Huong is just one example of
the many great experiences I
had on the speaking tour. I am
grateful that I had the opportu-
nity to share my knowledge
about the current situation in
Nepal, and could raise aware-
ness of the problems that the
HRDs are facing.
9
www.pbi-nepal.org
PBI Nepal Project
P.O. Box 8975, Phone: +977 1221 1200
E.P.C. 1865 Fax: +977 1553 7473
Sanepa, Lalitpur, Email: info@pbi-nepal.org
Kathmandu, Nepal www.pbi-nepal.org

PBI Field Officer, Beate

Arnold, at work in Ilam

Peace Brigades International

(PBI) is an international grass-
roots organisation registered
with the United Nations that
has been working to promote
nonviolence and protect hu-
man rights since 1981.

Established in 2006, the Ne-

pal Project works according to
the philosophy of nonviolence,
within the framework of inter-
national norms of human
rights. It is independent of po-
litical and religious agendas,
abides by principles of non-
interference and works on the
request of its partners.

If you wish to contribute, you can:

 Support us by donation as an individual or through an organi-
sation
 Join your nearest PBI group and the Nepal Support Network
 Become a PBI volunteer
Please contact info@pbi-nepal.org for more information

10