Kathmandu, July 22
The umbrella organisation of Nepali journalists, Federation of Nepali Journalists, has claimed incidents against the free press and freedom of expression are on the rise in past three months.
The FNJ recorded 25 incidents against the free press including attacks on journalists and media, threats of ‘physical action’, and obstruction in news coverage in the period of three months (from mid-April to mid-July).
Eight journalists have survived threats whereas six have been abused. Two incidents of obstruction in news coverage have been reported whereas four persons have been attacked. Five journalists have been arrested.
The FNJ says total 63 incidents against the free press were recorded in the period of one year (from mid-April 2017 to mid-April 2018).
Meanwhile, FNJ General Secretary Ramesh Bista has accused the government of not being serious about incidents against the free press.
“This is not a good sign of the stable government,” Bista says, “We have not felt that the government press-friendly.”
