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Uma Singh

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Uma Singh
Bornca. 1983
Siraha District, Gamahariya VDC, Maheshpur Ward 4
DiedJanuary 11, 2009 (age 26)
Dhanusha, Janakpur Zone, Nepal
Cause of deathstabbed to death
NationalityNepalese
OccupationPrint & radio journalist
EmployerJanakpur Today newspaper & Radio Today FM
Known forWoman's activist
StyleLocal news

Uma Singh (c. 1983 – January 11, 2009) was a Nepalese women's rights journalist who worked for the Janakpur Today newspaper and Radio Today FM radio station. She lived in Janakpur, Nepal, until she was murdered for her feminist journalism.[1][2] According to BBC News, Singh was the first female journalist to be killed in Nepal.[2]

Biography

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Singh was born in the Siraha District, Gamahariya VDC, Maheshput Ward 4.[3] She is survived by her mother, Sushila Devi Singh.[4] Singh was cremated by her nephew, who worked in Janakpur.[5]

Uma Singh was a reporter for the Janakpur Today daily newspaper and Radio Today FM, both owned by the same company.[1][2] She gained recognition for her articles criticizing the dowry system, inheritance practices favoring sons-in-law over daughters, and other issues in her native Nepal. In addition to domestic issues, she also advocated for women's rights, addressed the caste system, and engaged in political discourse. Her workplace was located in her hometown which considered unsafe, with people carrying weapons at all times. Singh's supervisor at the radio station described her as "very brave and multi-talented" (Brij Kumar Yadav).[2][6]

Death

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Janakpur is in Nepal.
Dhanusa
Dhanusa
Kathmandu
Kathmandu
class=notpageimage|
Janakpur is located in Nepal and shown relative to the capital Kathmandu.

Singh was murdered in her home in Janakpur, Nepal, where she lived by herself in a rented apartment. On January 11, 2009, she came home from work in the evening and was making dinner when 12-20 men entered her apartment and stabbed her with sharp objects. Singh sustained multiple stab wounds and died on the way to the hospital. There were no witnesses of the murder. Her killers were Lalita Devi Singh, Nemlal Paswan, Shraban Yadav, Bimlesh Jha, and Abhishek Singh. Lalita Singh was Uma Singh's sister-in-law. Pawswan and Abhishek Singh were known for their criminal records. Yadav was a district-level activist of the UCPN(M), and Jha was a party activist of the Terai Ekta Parishad. Lalita Singh, Yadav, and Nemlal Paswasn were sentenced to life in prison.[6][7][8][9][10][11]

Investigation

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The police conducted an investigation on Singh's death for possible linkage to the disappearance of Singh's father and brother in 2007. They suspected the same perpetrators might be behind Singh's death.[12][9] After Singh's father and brother disappeared, Singh moved to Janakpur and started her job at the daily newspaper and the local FM station. Five days before Singh was murdered, she wrote, "The Maoists have not returned the seized land in Siraha district even three months after Maoist chairman and Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal directed his party cadres to do so. Some 1,200 bigahas of land captured during the People's War is still under Maoist control." The investigation concluded that the killers of Singh were after the family land that Singh had title to.[9] A life sentence was handed down to the ring leader.[7] Umesh Yadav, also known as Swamiji, who was arrested by police was convicted of being the mastermind of the killing. Yadav was sentenced to life imprisonment by the District Court of Dhanusa in April 2015.[13][14] Uma's sister-in-law Lalita Devi Singh and Nemwal Paswan had been sentenced already for the same crime.

Context

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Police officers had disregarded Singh's work as a journalist as a possible motive for her murder.[15][16] Before Singh was killed, she told the UN Mission in Nepal, "It is a big problem working in the Terai region." She talked about how society does not accept women.[17] The Editor-in-Chief of Singh's newspaper attributed her killing to her criticism of local politicians and the dowry system.[18]

Impact

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After Singh's death, a woman by the name of Manika Jha received death threats. The assailants busted her windows and marked her door with a cross in writing "now it is your turn." Jha was a correspondent for the Kantipur Daily.[19] Many death threats were issued. Shanker Mishra, leader of Terai Madhesh Loktantik Party issued a threat to Mahesh Kumar Das, a reporter for Nagarik Dainik and news coordinator for Radio Mirchi FM 89.6.[20]

Singh was the first journalist murdered in Nepal. She was well-known for the things she tried to do for Nepal. Singh was a women's rights activist and a print and broadcast journalist.[21]

People in the Mahottari, Salahi, Sindhuli, Siraha, and Sapatari zones mourned Singh's death and wore black bands around their wrists to protest her killing.[22] The Monday after Singh's death, all six FM radio stations in Janakpur did not air an entertainment program or news.[23]

After the mourning for Singh, many people of Nepal started protesting for journalist protections, in particular, safety for women who advocate for human rights.[24][25]

After Singh's death, Article 19 stated, "It was emphasized that the lack of effective investigation and culture impunity in Nepal had created a precedent whereby perpetrators see attacks pass without consequence."[26]

Members of the Club Nepal announced they would create an award in memory of Singh. The Uma Singh Courageous Journalism Award would carry a prize of 25,000 Indian Rupee and a letter of appreciation.[27][28]

Reactions

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Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of UNESCO, said, "I condemn the brutal murder of Uma Singh. If Nepal is to uphold the two basic human rights of freedom of expression and equal rights of men and women, it will need to bring the culprits of this crime to justice. This is not only an attack on an individual, but a blow to Nepalese society as a whole."[6]

Reporters Without Borders said, "Our first thoughts are with her family and friends. We ask the authorities to react quickly and to do their utmost to protect journalists in Nepal and to quickly arrest this group of killers. This kind of appalling murder must not go unpunished if the Nepalese press is to go about its work freely."[29]

The Committee to Protect Journalists said it "welcomes the arrest of a suspected mastermind in Uma Singh's murder case as a significant first step However, only a robust effort by authorities to prosecute and deliver a just verdict will help to reverse deep-rooted impunity for journalist murders in Nepal."[30]

A spokesperson for International Federation of Journalists said, "We welcome the conviction of Umesh Yadav bringing the case of Uma Singh's murder to a close. We applaud the local authorities for continuing to fight for justice for Uma and ensure that the perpetrators and mastermind are brought to justice."[31]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Protests continue against murder of Nepalese journalist". CNN. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  2. ^ a b c d "Nepal radio journalist murdered". BBC News. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  3. ^ Slain woman journalist of Nepal. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2016 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ "Posthumous award to slain journalist – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  5. ^ "BBC NEWS – South Asia – Thousands mourn Nepal journalist". BBC News. 13 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  6. ^ a b c "Director-General condemns brutal murder of Nepalese journalist Uma Singh". UNESCO PRESS. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  7. ^ a b "The Kathmandu Post :: Journo Uma Singh's murder: Mastermind gets life sentence". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  8. ^ "Govt asked to book Uma's murderers – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  9. ^ a b c "IFJ Demands Justice for Uma Singh". 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  10. ^ "Nepalese journalist hacked to death". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  11. ^ "NEPAL: PM refutes his party's hand in Uma Singh's murder". Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  12. ^ "'Masterminds' behind Uma Singh's killing made public – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  13. ^ "Mastermind in journalist Uma Singh's murder gets life sentence". Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  14. ^ "Journo Uma Singh's murder: Mastermind gets life sentence". Archived from the original on June 29, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  15. ^ "Uma Singh". Committee to Protect Journalists. January 11, 2009. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "Arrest of suspected mastermind in Nepalese journalist's brutal murder". IFEX. 24 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  17. ^ "Women journalists targeted in Terai". IFEX. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  18. ^ "Journalist Uma Singh, 24, Murdered In Nepal". The Huffington Post. 12 February 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  19. ^ "Watch Groups Condemn Killing of Woman Journalist Uma Singh – Nepal Monitor: The National Online Journal". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  20. ^ "Conviction of mastermind in Nepalese journalist's murder". IFEX. 27 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  21. ^ "NEPAL: Uma Singh, 26-year-old journalist killed". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  22. ^ Mukunda Nepal (12 January 2009). "Female Journalist Uma Singh Murdered in Nepal". GroundReport. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  23. ^ "Journalist's murder sparks tension". hindustantimes. Archived from the original on 2016-12-08. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  24. ^ "EU condemns Uma Singh's murder – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2017-03-11. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  25. ^ "US condemns Uma Singh's murder – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  26. ^ "Nepal: Conviction of Uma Singh's Case an Important Step towards…". Article 19. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  27. ^ "Govt cold to journos' plight – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  28. ^ "IN BRIEF – The Himalayan Times". The Himalayan Times. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  29. ^ "Journalist and women's rights activist brutally murdered". Reporters Without Borders. Archived from the original on 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  30. ^ "Another arrest in the murder of Nepal's Uma Singh". Committee to Protect Journalists. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  31. ^ "IFJ Supports Nepal Protests over Murder of Uma Singh". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
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