Pramila Karki, Nepal News Bank
Kathmandu. Former presidents of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) have expressed concern over the recent arrests on media houses and journalists by the police administration.
According to them, the entry of police into the newsroom, the search for the source of news and the arrest of journalists for the subject of news content have raised serious questions on press freedom and freedom of expression.
They have expressed concern that such activities are against the constitution, law and established norms and values of journalism.
They believe that the interference on journalists should not be taken as a normal incident. The former presidents believe that press freedom is not limited to the professional rights of journalists but is related to the citizens’ right to information and basic values of the democratic system. In an interview with Nepal News Bank, former presidents of FNJ Taranath Dahal, Mahendra Bista and Harihar Birahi said that recent developments have raised questions about the state’s attitude towards the press.
They have expressed the view that any attempt to weaken the independent press by keeping journalists in fear is not appropriate for the democratic system.
Former president Harihar Birahi termed the latest incident as an unimaginable incident in a democracy. He said that the arrest of journalists was not only an interference on press freedom and freedom of expression but also a sign of a serious crisis for the future of democracy. He said that it was a serious matter to interfere with the right to press and freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution of Nepal. He said that no matter how much such incidents are condemned, it will be less, adding that journalists and all concerned citizens should take it seriously.
He said, “This is an unimaginable incident in a democracy. It not only interferes with the constitutionally guaranteed rights to press freedom and freedom of expression, but also indicates a serious crisis for the future of democracy. No matter how much we condemn such incidents, it will be less. Not only condemnation, but journalists and all concerned citizens need to take it seriously.” He said that press freedom should not be understood as the right of journalists only. He said that the lack of an environment in which journalists can freely collect, edit and publish news will have a direct impact on the right to information of the citizens.
“Press freedom is not only the right of journalists but also the right of all citizens and is the backbone of democracy,” he said.
Therefore, the state machinery should take care of its responsibilities and duties before interfering in it. “
Birahi said that the state should take the interference on press freedom seriously and bring the elements involved in such incidents under the ambit of law. He said that in the coming days, the people should also raise the issues related to such incidents seriously.
Former FNJ President Dahal said it was clear that the latest arrest on journalists was against the constitution, law and norms and values of journalism. He said that it is a serious matter that no one has taken responsibility for the incident even though the state agencies and the ruling party have accepted that the activity was wrong. He said that the government’s silence on taking responsibility for the mistakes made by the responsible bodies of the state and taking action against the guilty gave a message that the state was trapped in anarchy.
He said, “The state bodies and the ruling party have also said that the latest incident is wrong. The Prime Minister himself or the Secretariat has already said it. But no one took responsibility for this. The fact that the government turned a blind eye to finding out who was responsible for such incidents and taking action against them proves that it happened by the government. Therefore, it should be called a state of anarchy.” Dahal said that the crackdown on journalists has put the press in psychological panic and weakened the voice of the press. Stating that efforts were being made to weaken free expression by directly suppressing the press, he said such interference would have negative impact on the exercise of press freedom.
On the increasing activities of suppressing press freedom in recent times, he said that the interference against the values of the press is trying to weaken the independent journalism. However, he said that the Nepali press is moving strongly for its freedom.
He said, “The way the press has been weakened, the kind of interference that has been done against the freedom of the press and against the values has weakened the freedom of the press. There has been an attempt to make it. However, it is noteworthy that the press has also come forward strongly for its independence and is continuously moving forward for its free exercise despite the anti-freedom interference.” “
Similarly, former President of FNJ Dr. Mahendra Bista described the arrest of journalists as a regrettable incident. He said that the interference of the police in the newsroom, the tendency of searching the source of news and arresting journalists without arrest warrant for the subject of news would hinder the free exercise of the media.
According to Bista, these activities are related to the recent developments. He said that the police reaching the newsroom, pressuring them to disclose the source of the news and arresting journalists on the basis of writing the news will have a direct impact on the freedom of journalism. “The crackdown on journalists is very regrettable,” he said.
The frustrations behind it have become even more complicated. One is the interference of the police in the newsroom, the second is the search for the source of the news, the third is the arrest of a journalist without an arrest warrant on the subject of the news. And then the tendency to blame each other on whose orders and how it is done will hinder the free exercise of the media. It curtails the freedom of the press and expression.
He said that such activities will also curtail the values established by the democratic and
constitutional system. Stressing that the state’s approach to press freedom should be clear, he said that it is worrisome that the state agencies are seen to be interfering with it.
According to him, activities that control journalism or intimidate journalists also affect citizens’ right to free access to information.
Therefore, the state should play the role of protecting the free exercise of the media, not obstructing it.
The main responsibility of journalism is to bring out the activities of the state, issues of public interest and the issues of the citizens. In this process, if there is a disagreement or complaint about the news, it should be resolved through a legal and established process. However, the tendency to interfere in the newsroom, find the source of the news and arrest journalists runs the risk of weakening the atmosphere of independent journalism.
The statements of the three former presidents have raised concerns that the latest developments may affect not only the journalism sector but also the overall democratic practice. They have stressed that the state should be responsible for protecting press freedom, determining responsibility for the incident and taking action against the guilty and creating an environment in which journalists can work fearlessly.
On Friday, the police entered the newsrooms of various media houses and took the journalists under control. The police had arrested Bishwamani Subedi, Dheeraj Basnet of DN Khabar and Sobhraj Baral of Motive News.
Similarly, plain clothes policemen reached the office of the newspaper to take Nawaraj Mainali, a journalist of the new newspaper, into custody. Similarly, the police also entered the office of Diopost Online. The incident is being criticized from all sides.
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