Reporter for the Annapurna Post national daily, Shiba Dhungana, received threats over news on February 8. Dhungana is also the editor of Nagarikmedia.com, based in Okhaldhunga, Koshi Province.
Talking to Freedom Forum, Dhungana said that since January 26 he has been publishing news reports and videos related to political parties’ candidates for the upcoming elections, as well as internal party disputes over candidacy. The reports have been published in Nagarikmedia.com and the Annapurna Post daily. Dhungana has also shared related content on social media.
Following the publication, individuals claiming to be relatives of political leaders issued threats to Dhungana.
“A person named Prachanda Khadka, who introduced himself as a cousin of Nepali Communist Party (NCP) leader Gyan Bahadur Khadka, along with Bijay Lama and Jung Tamang, repeatedly used abusive language to threaten me through messages and phone calls allegedly over news reporting and its impact on their campaign. Similarly, a few other individuals also called me from new and unknown numbers, but I declined the calls,” journalist Dhungana said. He added that he informed the concerned leader about the threats; however, the leader said he was not aware of the individuals making the calls.
“I am preparing to file a complaint with the police administration including the threatening call numbers,” Dhungana said.
Freedom Forum condemns the threats issued against the journalist for his reporting. While news content can be questioned, there are legitimate ways to express dissatisfaction with published content. Threatening journalists is a clear violation of press freedom. Freedom Forum strongly urges the security authorities to ensure the safety of journalists, especially in the context of the upcoming elections.
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