Rapper Samir Ghising who is popularly known as VTEN has been arrested from Kathmandu on October 24, 2019 allegedly for using vulgar words in his song. Ghising has been taken into custody in Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Teku. Kathmandu lies in province no 3. The police has arrested Ghising four months after his song 'Hami Yastai ta Honi Bro' premiered on youtube and got 1.9 millions views in short time. In the conversation with Freedom Forum’s representative Ashok Dahal, SSP Sahakul Thapa, Chief of Metropolitan Police Crime Division Teku said, he was arrested for using vulgarism in his song as well as publishing a picture of him smoking and making marijuana while wearing Nepali Police Uniform in his social media handle. Police have claimed that his picture could tarnish the public image of law enforcement body. Although, the police have not yet decided whether to file any charge against him or not. He has been taken to custody in Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Crime Division, Teku. Young rapper Ghising has been arrested just a day after the arrest of another singer Durgesh Thapa from the same police office on charge of promoting alcohol and drugs in his song. Thapa was released after removing his song from the Youtube. The police had also arrested singer Pashupati Sharma earlier this year and asked to remove his song, from Youtube which demanded good governance with an end to corruption, within second day of its release. The Executive Chief of FF, Tara Nath Dahal while responding to the incident opines, “Use of police dress for artistic purpose does not qualify as crime. To control artistic expression is the true representation of totalitarian state.” The systematic detention of the artists by narrowly defining the implication of Freedom of Expression is a subject of growing concern for FF. FF condemns the act of restricting the artists to freely exercise their right to occupation is against Fundamental Rights of FoE guaranteed in Article 17 of Constitution of Nepal. For more information, Freedom Forum
Freedom Forum is a prominent non-governmental organization in Nepal dedicated to institutionalizing democracy, protecting and promoting human rights, press freedom, freedom of expression, right to information, promoting audit accountability, open and accountable budget, public finance reforms, citizen engagement in public finance management and citizen participation in audit. Established in February 2005, the organization emerged in response to the political turmoil following Former King Gyanendra’s coup dated February 1, 2005, which imposed severe restrictions on media and democratic rights. A group of media professionals, legal experts, and academics founded Freedom Forum to safeguard Nepal’s hard-earned democratic freedoms during this repressive period.
