Nepal Media Still Under Fire: RSF

Kathmandu, June 7More than a year after the fall of King Gyanendra's absolute regime, Nepal's press continues to be under fire from armed groups, media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said.The attacks have intensified in the Terai plains in the south, the epicentre of fresh unrest in a kingdom bedevilled by a 10-year communist uprising and decades of political instability, where at least 72 journalists have been assaulted or threatened since January, the Brussels-based watchdog said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Expressing alarm at the continued attacks on the media, especially with elections scheduled for November, the press freedom organisation urged the eight-party government to ensure security for journalists.'This is alarming,' it said. 'Armed militants are harassing journalists with the aim of silencing them or turning them into propagandists. The authorities, especially the interior and information ministries, must do everything possible to put an end to this climate of open hostility.'The government has a duty to ensure that the press is able to work, especially in the run-up to elections.''Death threats have become commonplace in the southern provinces,' the media organisation said.

The media watchdog has also come down on the Maoists, now part of the government, saying their youth wing, the controversial Young Communist League, has been reported to be involved in harassing a journalist working for Nepal1, last month.It also cited at least three instances of journalists being harassed without any group taking responsibility.'Journalists think they bear the hallmarks of Maoist groups,' Reporters Without Borders said.The group said it was particularly calling on the minister to 'quickly intercede with all affiliated organisations in order to get them to stop the attacks and threats against journalists'.

For 15 months from 2005, when King Gyanendra seized power with army backing, Reporters Without Borders had marked Nepal as one of the bleakest places for journalists with a high incidence of arbitrary arrests, closure of critical media organisations and a draconian ban that prevented journalists from criticising the royal family or the royal government.Though the royal regime ended due to a public uprising and the new government pledged to restore media freedom, the emergence of new dissenting groups now poses a fresh threat to the media.

Source: The Himalayan Times, June 7, 2007

Ensuring A Free Press

AS journalists and media persons celebrated World Press Freedom Day Wednesday, experts pointed out the challenges still being faced by the Nepalese media sector and sought measures to fully ensure and institutionalise press freedom and the freedom of expression. After the political change last year, the Nepalese press has definitely heaved a sigh of relief. During the king's authoritarian regime, the press came under direct attack because Nepalese journalists and media persons were on the forefront struggling for democracy and freedom. After the success of the Jana Andolan, the press has been free, in principle. There is no pressure and attack from the state. However, the press is not fully secure and free as newer kinds of threats are merging. The attack, threat and intimidation against the press and the media persons continue to exist. But this is not from the state but from the non-state sector. During the agitation in the Terai, Nepalese journalists came under heavy attack and threats were issued by the organisers of the agitation. As a result, some journalists had to flee from their original places or to quit their job. This is a testimony that the press is still not fully secure and safe.

Media persons are the messengers. When the messengers are not safe and secure, the job of carrying the messages to the target group cannot be accomplished. Thus, the process of informing and educating the people is obstructed. Freedom of press is a hallmark of a democratic and open society. A democratic system of governance cannot be vibrant in the absence of a free press, while meaningful and effective press freedom cannot exist without democracy and open society. Thus, democracy and free press are, in a way, synonymous. In a democracy, people's right to information must be safeguarded and realised. A free, vibrant and functioning media alone can ensure the right to information of the people. The right to information has been taken as one of the fundamental rights of the people. People have the right to know about government affairs. Only informed citizens can make the right decision in every sphere of the society. Thus, people must be informed about the acts and decision of the government. This is the spirit and essence of democracy. Although there is no threat from the government against the press, the government is yet to make legal and other frameworks for press freedom and guarantee access to information. Despite demands from the journalists, the law regarding right to information has not been enacted. It is the need of the hour, which alone will guarantee people's easy access to information.

Source: The Rising Nepal, May 4, 2007