Freedom Forum has been alarmed over the growing number of incidents of press freedom violations across the country.
Narendra Nath Yogi, Chief Editor of the Karnali Sandesh weekly, published from Jumla, a distant hilly district in the Midwestern region of Nepal, was threatened of physical action over phone on September 8, 2011 over a news he published in the weekly a day before.
Chief Editor Yogi told Freedom Forum's Monitoring Desk that a person Min Bahadur Thapa calling himself the Chairperson of Karnali Transport Bus Entrepreneurs' Association, said, "Why did you publish the news about Association? I will take physical action on you at any time."
According to Mr Yogi, the threats came over the news -'indecent proposal of some persons affiliated to the Bus Entrepreneurs' Association to the women of Kodari Village Development Committee and the subsequent filing of complaint by the women in the police post' on September 3.
He also threatened of physical action to Executive Editor Baram Bahadur Mahat and computer operator of the weekly, Prem Bahadur Thapa over phone.
It shows journalists in Nepal have been the butt of attack and threats from various sectors. As a result, they are bound to practice self-censorship which is detrimental to the press freedom and people's right to information.
Freedom Forum urges the concerned bodies to respect the press freedom and protect journalists' right to write news.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022