Freedom Forum has been seriously concerned over an incident of press freedom violation occurred in Dailekh, a district in the western most part of the hilly region of Nepal, on December 15.
A cadre of the ruling UCPN-Maoist in the district threatened, Govinda KC, reporter with the Himalaya Times daily of taking life over a news he wrote about the woes of a conflict-hit woman dated December 10.
In a telephonic conversation, journalist KC said to the Freedom Forum's Media Monitoring Desk, "Joint-Secretary of the UCPN-Maoist in the district, Krishna Prasad Jaishee 'Binaya' threatened me of taking life over the news I published about the plight of a conflict-hit woman. He accused me of assassinating his character and threatened of life while I was going to an office of a local newspaper in the district headquarters on Thursday evening."
The news was not biased but narrated the agonies of the conflict hit lady, he added.
It is not new the UCPN-Maoist emerged hostile against the press freedom but a repetition of suppression on media. }
The Maoist party is maintaining double standard because it claims to be cooperative to the media freedom in words, but yet to maintain hold on its cadres in the local level. As a result, the journalists are bearing the brunt. As a party heading the government, it needs to teach others for the protection and promotion of the press freedom, but is acting against this. It is condemnable in deed.
The Freedom Forum, therefore, urges the ruling Maoist party to teach its cadres to respect citizens' right to information. Moreover, the concerned authority must be vigilant enough for the possible attack on journalist KC.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022