State pool, City in the United Arab Emirates

A Nepali journalist living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was arrested by UAE police officials for publishing social media posts criticising the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, according to a media watchdog.The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemned the arrest of the journalist Umakanta Pandey and urged the Nepali government to facilitate his immediate release.Pandey who is affiliated with Ujjyalo Radio Network was arrested on February 15 under cybercrime charges following a statement he published on Facebook when he was in Nepal in early January, in which he accused the Nepali embassy in the UAE of wrongdoing in regards to Visit Visas in the UAE."The problem of visit visa in UAE will never be solved because the [Nepali] embassy itself is promoting and supporting the visit visa", said Pandey. It is reported that more than 5,000 Nepali citizens travel to the UAE on a visit visa every month, with many suspected of engaging in illegal employment in hopes that they can remain in the UAE. The journalist claimed that he had substantial evidence regarding the misdeeds of the Nepali embassy.According to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), following his arrest, a court in Dubai sentenced Pandey to three months in prison and issued him a fine of 20,000 Dirham (approx. USD 5444). The FNJ has further revealed that Pandey is facing additional difficulties with hiring a lawyer to represent him during his trial, as Nepali lawyers in the UAE are not willing to take his case for fear of persecution.The FNJ met Nepal's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Narayan Khadka on March 3 to ask the ministry to facilitate the release of Pandey. Following this discussion, the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi also agreed to aid with Pandey's case, despite earlier denying any involvement with the incident.FNJ General Secretary, Roshan Puri, said: "Complaining to the Nepalese embassy about the status written while living in Nepal and arresting and imprisoning a Nepali journalist by the UAE police for cybercrime is against the universal recognition of freedom of expression and a direct interference on freedom of expression. FNJ draws the attention of the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nepalese Embassy in the UAE to investigate the incident and take immediate steps for the release of Pandey."IFJ said: "No one should be arrested merely for their opinion. The IFJ urges authorities to immediately withdraw the charges against Umakanta Pandey, and calls on the Nepali government to facilitate his release, and take action on this blatant violation of media freedom."( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

State PoolFOLLOW

State pool, Latest News

When every person in India's 1.4 billion population is a consumer of spices in a market that's swamped with similar competitors, how does a spice brand keep growing continuously? ...

Dubai, March 14 New Zealand all-rounder Amelia Kerr on Monday was adjudged as ICC women's player of the ... ...

H&O Immigration Services, a subsidiary of the Resolute Group presents specialised services in Citizenship by Investment, Residency by Investment, along with Permanent Residency programs, Work Permits, and Study pathways. The countries that are in sco ...

New Delhi, March 14 For the coming Holi weekend, why not take a quick getaway with the family ... ...

Hercules Hoists Ltd has recently partnered with KG International as an exclusive Authorized Business Partner for a large list of countries primarily covering the Middle East and Africa region. ...

Indian boxers Vanshaj and Aman Singh Bisht registered commanding wins to enter the youth men's finals at the 2022 ASBC Asian Youth and Junior Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan. ...

Hyderabad, March 12 Chief Justice of India, N.V. Ramana on Saturday laid foundation stone for permanent building India's ... ...

A Nepali journalist living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was arrested by UAE police officials for publishing social media posts criticising the Nepali Embassy in Abu Dhabi, according to a media watchdog. ...