Provincial newspaper editor dies two weeks after being shot in the head

Reporters Without Borders voiced dismay today at the death of provincial newspaper editor Khagendra Shrestha on 31 March from gunshot wounds to the head he received two weeks earlier when armed men burst into his office in Dharan, in eastern Nepal. Aged 45, Shrestha died in the hospital in the Indian town of Siliguri to which he was rushed shortly after being shot. The press freedom organization called on the Nepalese authorities to shed light on the circumstances and exact motives for his murder. It also urged the Maoist rebels to explain their actions in view of the fact that they have been blamed. At least three journalists have been killed by Maoist insurgents in the past two years. The editor of the Dharan Today daily newspaper, Shrestha was shot twice in the head on 15 March by two gunmen who walked into his office and left again without being stopped. The security forces said they thought Maoist rebels were behind the shooting, but the Maoists have not claimed responsibility. Several sources said Shrestha supported King Gyanendra's declaration of a state of emergency and seizure of full powers on 1 February. see previous release