April
2005 - News Release
CPJ
urged to release journalists, lift crackdown
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The
Committee to Protect Journalists today called on the government of Nepal
to end the harassment and imprisonment of journalists and to repeal restrictions
imposed on private media in the wake of King Gyanendra's February 1 emergency
proclamation.
During a press conference in Kathmandu at the end of a weeklong fact-finding
mission, CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper urged the immediate release
of all imprisoned journalists and an immediate halt to a series of actions
taken under the emergency order that have stifled or silenced independent
reporting by print and broadcast media.
"The government's crackdown, initiated at local and national levels across
Nepal, is the most devastating blow to the country's vibrant private media
since democracy began here in 1990," Cooper told the press conference.
Cooper called the growth of independent media since 1990 one of the real
success stories of Nepal's young democracy. "Private print and broadcast
media have developed into Nepal's main forum for responsible, constructive
public debate," said Cooper. "But now the authorities seem determined to
close down that forum and force a return to the days when news and information
came only from tightly restricted state media. That would be a huge loss
for the Nepali public and a great setback for democracy."
Cooper said CPJ research showed that government censorship, threats, and
harassment now set sharp limits on what print media are allowed to report
on vital national issues, in particular the government's decade-long conflict
with Maoist insurgents. In addition, the government's total ban on news
reporting by Nepal's 46 private FM radio stations, imposed on February
1, has deprived the country of a crucial forum for news and public discussion,
particularly in rural areas.
In addition to Cooper, the CPJ fact-finding mission includes Daniel Lak,
former BBC reporter in Nepal. Cooper and Lak met with a wide range of editors,
reporters, and photographers who work for print and broadcast media in
Kathmandu. They also spoke with stringers who report for national media
in rural areas, and they traveled to Nepalgunj to discuss press freedom
conditions with journalists there. The CPJ delegation has requested meetings
with Minister for Information and Communications Tanka Dhakal and Army
Brigadier General Dipak Gurung. A request has also been submitted for an
audience with King Gyanendra.
Among the mission's key findings, which will be described in greater detail
in a report to be written by Lak for CPJ this month, were:
The government's media crackdown began with the pre-planned deployment
of armed soldiers and military censors to private media offices all over
the country as the king's emergency proclamation was still being broadcast
on the morning of February 1. While soldiers and censors have withdrawn,
the dramatic February 1 deployment and subsequent official restrictions
on media have created a climate of fear and self-censorship among Nepalese
journalists. As a result, independent news and information available to
the public is greatly reduced; in fact, the only locally broadcast news
now available to the public is controlled by the state. In some areas of
the country, clandestine and illegal Maoist-run FM radio stations are now
the only alternative.
In the two and a half months since the proclamation, the government has
arrested dozens of members of the media. While some have been released
after a few days in detention, the arrests continue, and the Federation
of Nepalese Journalists reported at least 10 journalists were in prison
as of April 11.
Other repressive tactics reported by journalists-particularly those working
outside Kathmandu-include frequent warnings from government or military
officials. In some cases, journalists who have continued to report independently
on the government's conflict with Maoists have been accused by officials
of being "Maoist sympathizers." In other cases, the warnings come with
a threat. For example, one Kathmandu editor reported that an official told
him the editor could be "disappeared" for several hours if his paper did
not comply with new emergency restrictions. A reporter from a district
outside Kathmandu said a local Army sergeant warned him: "We are back to
the old days....we can do anything to you."
Journalists for state and private media, particularly in rural areas, remain
at risk of violent attack from both Maoist and Nepalese government forces.
Earlier this month, the editor and publisher of Dharan Today newspaper
died of bullet wounds after unidentified gunmen attacked him in his office.
Last year, Maoist rebels claimed responsibility for killing Dekendra Raj
Thapa, a journalist for state-run Radio Nepal in Dailekh District. At the
time, Maoists told Thapa's family that they intended to kill 10 other journalists
in neighboring districts.
The government's restrictions-including its decision last week to halt
government advertising in private media-have led to circulation and advertising
declines, putting sharp economic pressures on print media. FM radio stations,
now forbidden to run any news programming, have been particularly hard
hit. According to the FNJ at least 1,000 journalists are unemployed as
a result of the post-February 1 restrictions.
Based on its findings, CPJ calls on Nepalese authorities to release all
journalists currently imprisoned and to stop detaining journalists for
doing their job of reporting news. CPJ also calls for the repeal of all
restrictive orders implemented since February 1, including the ban on news
reporting by FM radio stations and restrictions on reporting about events
in the government's conflict with Maoists. Additionally, CPJ urges the
government to reverse its decision to halt advertising in private media.
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