Nepalese radio station wins AMARC award

Radio Sagarmatha, the pioneering Kathmandu-based community radio broadcaster, has been awarded the AMARC International Solidarity Prize 2006 in recognition of its outstanding work in defence of human rights and democracy in Nepal. The AMARC International Solidarity Prize, which is awarded every four years, was presented at a ceremony in Amman, Jordan at AMARC's Ninth World Conference of Community Radio Broadcasters. Radio Sagarmatha, launched in 1997, is the first independent community radio broadcaster to be established in South Asia. It has led the way in opening up the airwaves in Nepal. After King Gyanendra of Nepal seized control of the country in a coup in February 2005, Radio Sagarmatha helped form the Save the Independent Radios Movement to protest against draconian restrictions on the media. Through on-air campaigns, street protests and judicial proceedings, Radio Sagarmatha regained the right to broadcast news and information and made a pivotal contribution to the defence of human rights and the eventual restoration of democracy in 2006. SOURCE: International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX)

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