Grim year for Nepal

BY Hoot desk with IANS and Freedom Forum| IN Media Freedom | 30/12/2008

After a week long protest over growing attacks on the media under the new Maoist government, Nepal¿s journalists on December 29 called off their stir following a pact with the state. A deal was signed on Sunday between Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara and president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) for protection of press freedom and guaranteeing security of the journalists and media houses.

A joint press release signed by the convenors of both the talks teams states that a focal point would be established at the Ministry of Information and Communications for addressing the incidents related to the violation of press freedom. It is also stated that a task force comprising the representatives of the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the FNJ would recommend a long-term policy on press freedom and the security of the journalists.

This year in Nepal  media houses including Kripa Daily, Narayani Today, Kantipur Daily, Prateek Daily, Singhanath Daily, Metro Post Daily, Democracy Weekly, Himal Media, Ankush Daily, Simhalung FM, Ramaroshan FM, Pokharapatra and Dainik Lumbini were ransacked and attacked, and journalists working there repeatedly threatened, misbehaved with and tortured. The attack this month on Himal Media by a politicized trade union associated to ruling party Maoist drew wide attention at national and international levels, and sparked a series of protests. The publication of The Himalayan Times and Kantipur were obstructed by Maoist labour unions. Likewise, the production of Nepal Samacharpatra, Kantipur, Kathmandu Post, HBC FM, Drishti Weekly,  and Himal  were also obstructed.

Journalists nationwide began a united protest movement last week after Himal Media  was attacked and a protest rally by journalists in the capital in condemnation was baton-charged by security forces. Last Tuesday, major newspapers left their editorial space blank while radio and television stations dropped their headlines. It was followed by journalists wearing a black arm band and staging a rally sporting gags.

After talks between Maoist Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara and journalists¿ bodies Sunday night, the scribes agreed to call off the stir as the government pledged to bring the Attackers to book.

Maoist trade union cadres, who had blocked the eastern office of Nepal¿s leading daily Kantipur in Biratnagar town, also agreed to allow the beleaguered daily and its sister publication in English, the Kathmandu Post, to resume printing from Monday.

2008 has been a grim year for press freedom in Nepal. Despite an epoch-making political change followed by the establishment of  a democratic government and the holding of  much-awaited constituent assembly elections, the Nepali press and working journalists were subjected to deliberate and organized assaults and atrocities across the country. From agitating armed outfits in the Terai,  youth wings associated to various political parties, security personnel and local people. A growing culture of impunity, a deteriorating law and order situation, partisan intervention and unprofessional journalism were the major factors contributing to the rising trend of press freedom violations in Nepal.

During 2008, journalist and media houses throughout the country faced a total of 284 press freedom violations. According to the record maintained by Freedom Forum, Press Freedom Monitoring Desk, over a period from January to December, 2008, more than 62 journalists were manhandled and 31 subjected to misbehavior in the course of their professional work. Mainly journalists working in central, eastern and far-western region and southern plains of Nepal had faced series of threats, obstructions, attacks, arson and displacements from unionists affiliated to different political parties, media management, regional and ethnic groups launching agitation demanding rule to self determination and autonomy. Journalists were forced to write favourable reports of these groups’ activities.

The Press Freedom Monitoring Desk has recorded 25 incidents of vandalism, 62 incidents of manhandling, 31 cases of misbehavior while incidents of seizure, loot and abduction stood at 7, 12 and 3.

Dozen of journalists were attacked, issued death threats, their offices ransacked, their vehicles set ablaze and distribution and transmission were obstructed. The major incidents recorded during the period are beating and death threat to Lakki Chaudhari, Editor of Hamar Pahura Daily in Tharu language, Maoist Chairperson Prachanda’s warning to Kantipur Publications of serious consequences, exhumation and findings of remnants of Dailekh-based journalist Dekendra Thapa who was allegedly killed by CPN (Maoist) in August, 2004,  an assault on Nepal Press Council, and halting  publication of more than 19 dailies and weeklies in Jhapa and prohibition of distribution of newspapers in Parsa by Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum.

All weeklies and dailies published from Jhapa and Dhangadhi were closed down for an indefinite period due to the general strike and obstruction in distribution caused by agitating groups in the Terai.

This year the government formed a taskforce to furnish recommendations on FM Radio frequency which will apparently restrict the operation of FM radios with capacity of over 500 Watt and to stop increasing capacity of FM.

In an effort to formulate long-term policy of freedom of expression in Nepal, Freedom Forum, ARTICLE 19 and Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) held series of meeting of expert panel including lawmakers, journalists, civil society leaders and legal practitioners under the Agenda for Change process. The comprehensive report of AFC has been developed and next phase of implementation is to be taken into account in next year. Likewise, Freedom Forum organized consultative workshops in all five development regions of the country on "Media Law and Policy" and published and disseminated widely as a part of its advocacy for media laws reforms.