Security personnel barred journalists from reporting at squatters’ holding centers in Kirtipur on April 30. The holding center is a government-managed facility where families identified as 'squatters' displaced from riverbank settlements in various parts of Kathmandu have been relocated.
Freedom Forum also spoke with Kantipur National Daily reporter Daya Dudraj, who was similarly compelled to delete all photos and videos in order to continue reporting at the center the same day. He had also reached the holding center to document the condition of relocated families.
He said, "While I was filming the condition of families and their belongings, a municipal police officer suddenly grabbed my arm and asked- Why are you taking photos here? It is not allowed. When I asked why, he said media access was restricted inside the center and nothing could be recorded as per higher-level orders, without specifying the high-level authority.”
Reporter Dudraj was also instructed to delete all recordings to talk to the affected families. Amid a group of municipal police, his phone was seized and the recordings were deleted even from the recycle bin.
"I was not in a position to resist because I needed to speak with the displaced people, so I asked them to let me go inside,” he added. "They again said no photos or videos were allowed and that I could only observe the situation." He further noted that while speaking with the families, police moved around the place and even asked him to stop and leave.
Other journalists, including Monika Waiba of Ukeraa.com and Pawan Mudbhari of Khabarhub.com, also faced similar intimidation while reporting on the same site. Lately, media reports have brought to light the actual conditions and plight of the affected families in the holding center, contrary to the government’s claims that the squatters were relocated to a safe place.
Freedom Forum condemns the obstruction and manhandling of journalists covering a serious public issue. This is sheer violation of press freedom and citizen's right to information. The incident depicts an authoritarian approach of the government to suppress public voice. FF strongly urges the concerened authorities to respect journalists' right to free reporting and unhindered access to information.
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