Ensure safety to RTI activist

A noted Right to Information activist Ishwara Tiwari has been receiving threats since March 14. The incident took place in Jhapa, Koshi Province. Activist Tiwari reached out to Freedom Forum, seeking support for her safety amid threats on April 8. Talking to Freedom Forum, Tiwari shared that she had requested information at Haldibari Municipality regarding encroachment of a local street on August 21. After she received information from the municipality, she has been drawing attention of the local authority through her social media posts regarding the illegal use of public street as personal land. Through her posts, she has been calling the municipality to take action on the guilty ones so that the people affected by the illegal activity would be ensured justice. After the local media published news based on her posts, the municipality lodged a complaint against her at the District Police Office, Jhapa, she shared. Following the complaint, she was summoned to the police station for discussion. Additionally, she was threatened by the people involved in the encroachment of public street. Moreover, Tiwari’s Facebook account was also locked on March 21, which Tiwari suspects was a planned attack. However, the account was recovered later. Activist Tiwari has requested the District Administration Office Jhapa and National Human Rights Commission Koshi Province Office, requesting her and her family’s safety on April 8. She is an active RTI campaigner. She has been using RTI to make the local authorities transparent and accountable for six years. Freedom Forum is concerned over the incident and calls upon the concerned authorities to ensure the activist’s safety and security.