Nepal
Murder of television network executive sparks police investigationPosted Feb 23 2010
A television mogul who owned satellite TV station Channel Nepal and cable TV company Space Time Network was shot to death in his car on Feb. 7 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
According to the Reporters Without Borders, Jamim Shah was only yards away the French Embassy when two men on a motorcycle drove up to Shah's car and shot him in the head and chest. The driver of the vehicle, Mathura Man Malakar, also suffered injuries.
Nothing indicates that the murder was motivated by Shah's status as an owner of media outlets.
A police spokesman told Reporters Without Borders that dozens of officers were investigating the murder and monitoring the roads out of Kathmandu. Police have arrested 18 suspects so far.
Police found the motorcycle used in the killing on Feb. 9.
Oneindia News reports that four police officers were suspended on Feb. 10 for failing to perform their duties on the day the media executive was shot.
Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal visited Shah's family on Feb. 8, and said the assailants would be arrested and brought to court.
Shah's Channel Nepal is a 24-hour news channel, while Space Time Network is the largest cable operator in the country. Shah previously owned two daily papers, which were closed for financial reasons.
Media groups such as The Federation of Nepalese Journalists and Television Broadcasters Nepal, which was formerly chaired by Shah, have demanded that the government fully investigate the murder and arrest Shah's killers.