Who is this man, Gopal Gurung ?
Gopal Gurung is a man of courage who has been the most vocal advocate
of the human rights for the indigenous people of Nepal. He is an editor
and author of many books, the most popular and controversial being
The Hidden facts of Nepalese Politics. He was arrested and jailed
without any convection or trail by the Panchayat Government in 1989
for being threatened by what he wrote in the Hidden Facts of
of Nepalese Politics. The status quo, the Hindu dominated establishment
tried all it can to stop Mr. Gurung from speaking against
the institutionalized racism, corruptions and
exploitations by the rulers and politicians against
the indigenous people who are primarily Buddhist. But they
discovered that it was too late that the genie was already out of
the box. The news of his arrest spread beyond Nepal's
border and brought protests and demands of his immediate release.
Many local and international journalists, writers and organizations
such as PEN London, Press Foundation of Asia,
Amnesty International, and Denmark on Human Rights raised their
voices on behalf of Mr. Gurung which eventually led to his release
after the democracy came into existence.
Mr. Gurung holds MA in Political Science, and has been an
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of the Newlight and Thunderbolt in Kathmandu. He is an
ex-member of the Nepal Journalist Association, Central Committee, ex General Secretary of the World Nepalese Association and
Chairman of All India Journalist Council for Nepal.
He is also a Consultant and co-ordinator for the Press Foundation of Asia, Manila, Philippines.
Mr. Gurung has the tenacity and determination to
fight for what he believes is the right. He has risked his life to fight for
his people in Nepal, but his unwavering courage
has come at a price. He was kept at a minimum subsistence while he was
in prison: 700 grams of coarse rice and four rupees (about 10 cents) a day
as an allowance. Furthermore, he was kept with all the criminals, and he was
denied visitation and food for many days for merely writing about the pervasive
reality and demanding answers on Human rights and justice. Though he is a free
man now, he still receives obscene phone calls and
death threats. But despite all odds, he continues to fight for the
equal rights and justice for all the Nepalese. His works has already ignited
political and social activism especially among the Mongol People. Because of his
contribution the people of Nepal are politicially conscious than ever before.
Gopal Gurung and his followers has has founded
Mongol National Organization
through which they hope to bring the equality and desperately needed change in Nepal.