Bhutan
Reporter jailed for 7 yearsPosted Jan 30 2009
An exiled journalist for the Bhutan Reporter, Shantiram Acharya, 20, has been jailed for seven years for alleged links to a Maoist group, officials said Jan. 22. According to the Association of Press Freedom Activists (APFA) Bhutan, an exiled Bhutanese media group based in Kathmandu, Acharya was arrested in 2007 when he returned from exile in Nepal to visit relatives in Bhutan.
The Bhutanese High court found him “guilty of involvement in subversive activities” against Bhutan. The court said police had furnished evidence of Acharya participating in a military training course organized by the outlawed Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist-Leninist-Maoist).
The APFA alleged that Acharya was kept in secret detention for almost two months and tortured by police to extract a confession. Bhutanese police are believed to have found photographs of army outposts in Acharya's possession, which they think were taken to plan attacks.
According to APFA, Acharya was only convicted because he could not hire a lawyer to defend himself. The case must be reviewed and Acharya defended by independent lawyers in a fresh trial if Bhutan wants to convince the world it is a genuine democracy, according to the organization.
The Communist Party of Bhutan has denied any link with Acharya and according to a press release issued last week, the jailed reporter was never a member of the party.