Freedom Forum has been concerned over a press freedom violation occurred at Itahari, a city in the southern plain of eastern region in Nepal, on May 25, 2013.
Reporter with the Annapurna Post national daily from Itahari, Somnath Bastola, was issued death threat by Hem Karna Poudel, a leader of Nepali Congress party in Sunsari district, over a news report on crime.
Reporter Bastola said that district leader of the Nepali Congress, Mr Poudel, threatened him of life reasoning he (Bastola) wrote false news about Surya Rai, another cadre of the party involved in crime. Poudel argued that Rai was clean.
He added that Rai was in police's most wanted list which he made the story about.
It is the latest series that how hostile the political leaders are against free reporting. Also, it is the protection of criminal by the political leaders which jeopardizes security to every people.
Freedom Forum condemns the death threat, and strongly urges the Nepali Congress party to correct its cadres involved in crime and to the police administration to arrest and mete out action on him. Similarly, the panicked journalist Bastola needs to be provided security to fend off any assault in coming days.
For more information,
Freedom Forum
monitoring@freedomforum.org.np
01-4102030/ 4102022