The journalist kidnapped by the Maoist rebels managed to escape

On 9 April, Demling Lama managed to escape from the Maoist rebels who kidnapped him at his home four days before. He told a leader of the Nepalese Journalists' Federation that the rebels had beaten him. _________________________________________________________________ 09/04/2002-A journalist kidnapped by Maoist rebels Disturbed by the kidnapping of journalist Demling Lama, correspondent with the daily Himalaya Times for Sindhupalchok district, Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières - RSF) calls on the Maoist leaders to release this journalist. According to information obtained by RSF, Demling Lama was kidnapped by a group of about 15 Maoists on the night of 5 April 2002. The armed rebels entered his home in Dhuskot while he was asleep. They took him by force to an unknown location. His family has had no news about him since then, and the Maoists have not confirmed the abduction. Demling Lama is a correspondent with the national daily Himalaya Times and the public radio station Radio Nepal in Sindhupalchok district (north east of Katmandu). He writes regularly for local publications. In September 2001, Maoist rebels controlling the region of Rolpa (west of the country) kidnapped five journalists, and held them for three days. A report on the press freedom situation in Nepal, that RSF published on 26 March 2002, said the following: "After the proclamation of a state of emergency, the situation has changed, and the Maoists, who have executed dozens of activists of the Congress Party (the party in power) since 1996, and, more recently, a human rights activist, could be tempted to turn against journalists accused of "collaborating with the government", especially those correspondents in the provinces."