The Nexus Between Politics and Journalism in Nepal

The Nexus Between Politics and Journalism in Nepal

The following article is on the Net, in Media Forum Research at the following location http://www.jmk.su.se/global99/kiran/research/mediasituation.htm
We reproduce a relevant extract here.

MEDIA IN NEPAL: IN THE GRIP OF POLITICS  INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM, ON WHOSE TERMS?

By Kiran Subba

Stockholm, Sweden - 07.03.99

KATHMANDU, Nepal - Police raided a weekly newspaper office Jan. 5 and detained its editor, four reporters and 13 other workers, accusing them of links with Maoist rebels. Report on Freedom Forum by AP.

The constitution of Nepal 1990, in principle, provides basic democratic rights including the freedom of press and freedom of speech. In practice, however, the Nepali journalists are still being deprived in exercising independent journalism and they are frequently harassed by the authorities and the police. This article discusses about the independence of the media in Nepal, its problems and prospects in general.

Violation of Press Freedom

Since Nepal was ruled under a dictatorial monarchy with a partyless system
called Panchayat from 1960 to 1990, the media in general was censored; and
independent journalism was discouraged. The political change in 1990 ended the constitutional restrictions on press and publication. The change also guaranteed against censorship including unreasonable search and seize of the press.

Despite the constitutional protection, the arrest and detention of journalists continues in Nepal. In 1994, for example, Harihar Birahi, the former President of Nepal Journalist Association and Editor of Bimarsha Nepali weekly was arrested and then prosecuted, fined and imprisoned in an "offence" of publishing a cartoon about the Supreme Court of Nepal. The decision of the court was condemned by Nepali public in general.

In the same year, the arbitrary arrest and detention without trial of two other
journalists of Punarjagaran Nepali weekly, Mathbar Singh Basnet and
Sarachchandra Osti, was an even worse example in the changed context of the freedom of the press. Basnet and Osti were not only illegally deprived from their freedom of the press and publication, but also from their fundamental rights. They were detained for publishing a picture of the Princess of Nepal Shruti Shah posed with an Indian actor. The constitution of Nepal still prohibits the press to criticise the Nepali Royal family.

On 8 May 1998, during a one day general strike called by the Maoists group, who are launching the so-called People¿s War since 1996, about ten professional journalists were arbitrarily arrested and some of them were detained for a month. According to law, however, a detained person must be presented before the court of law within 24 hours of his or her arrest by the police. In several other occasions, journalists are being arrested who write about the abuse of power by the police in preventing Maoist insurgents in Nepal. Om Sharma, a left-wing journalist was detained in 1997 for 89 days without any trial in a suspicion of his connection with the Maoist guerrillas.