Reporters Without Borders is disturbed by the many acts of violence against the media in the past two weeks in Nepal. Attacks on journalists and threats to their work have been fuelled by mounting tension in the run-up to the adoption of a new constitution, scheduled for 27 May.

 

“The government should not forget the media amid all the controversy,” Reporters Without Borders said. “The new constitution must guarantee fundamental freedoms, including freedom of information. Only constitutionally protected media will able to question and criticize the government and make it accountable to the public.

 

“The safety of journalists and news media in the course of their work will continue to be sacrificed in the absence of a concrete commitment by the authorities. Responding to physical attacks on journalists and ending impunity for those responsible for this violence should be priorities for the government. We note this week’s promise by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to provide better protection for journalists and we hope that concrete measures quickly follow.”

 

In response to a nationwide call by the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), many ethnic and religious groups have staged protests this month in a bid to get their demands reflected in the new constitution, and protesters have repeatedly harassed, threatened and attacked journalists. Newspaper distribution has been disrupted in the regions with the most tension, especially in the west.

 

Journalists attacked during demonstrations

 

Hari Sharma of the Annapurna Post newspaper and Image Channel Television was attacked in the central district of Nawalparasi on 19 May by supporters of the United Tharu Struggle Committee, a group formed by members of the Tharu ethnic community, after he covered a demonstration they had organized. They burned his motorcycle and broke his right hand.

 

Demonstrators attacked three journalists – Sharad Chandra Bhandary of the news agency Rashtriya Samachar Samiti (RSS) and two reporters with the daily Sourya, Ram Sharan Bajagain and Bheem Gautam – on 11 May in Kathmandu, robbing Bajagain and Gautam of their press cards.

 

Homraj Ranabhat of the daily Gorkhapatra was physically attacked by representatives of a group formed by members the Tharu community in the west of the country on 8 May. Members of the same movement attacked Milan Parajuli and Prem Bahadur Kshetry of Vijay FM, taking their press cards and the keys to their motorcycle.

 

Around 50 other journalists have been attacked in the past two weeks. They include:

 

On 21 May

 

Ashok Dulal of Aarthik Abhiyan

Nawaraj Shrestha of News 24 Television

Prakash Adhikari, of Sagarmatha Television, in Makawanpur district

Radheshyam Khatiwada, secretary of the Federation of Nepali Journalists in Chitawan district

Rajan Upadhyay, of Barahi FM, in Kaski

 

On 20 May

 

Biku Tamang, a freelancer affiliated to the Federation of Sports Journalists, in Lalitpur

Bijay Chamling of Rajdhani Daily, in Chabahi

Dinesh Gautam of Citizen FM, in Kathmandu

Dipendra Karki of Karobar Daily, in Lalitpur

Prakash Kattel of Road Map Weekly

Radheshyam Dahal of Sagarmatha Television

Rajan Parajuli of Antenna Foundation Nepal, in Kathmandu

Rajesh Rai of Gorkhapatra Daily

Shakti Karki of Road Map Weekly

Shambhu Kumar Prasai of Gorkhapatra Daily

Upendra Sharma of Muktipatra Weekly

Y.P. Ghimire, a Himalaya TV cameraman, in Lalitpur

 

On 19 May

 

Ram Rijhan Yadav, a journalist and media adviser to the prime minister, in Anamnagar, Kathmandu

 

On 17 May

 

Dilli Acharya, the president of the Rajdhani section of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), in Kalanki, Kathmandu

Prakash Chandra Bhattarai, a journalist with the newspaper Lokvani daily and adviser to the FNJ’s Tanahu section, in Tanahu

Prem Prasad Poudel, a journalist with the newspaper Lokvani daily and president of the FNJ’sTanahu section, in Tanahu

 

On 10 May

 

Govinda Chaulagain of the Society of Cooperative Journalists

Purna Bhakta Duwal of the Society of Cooperative Journalists

Rajesh Khanal of the Kathmandu Post, in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu

Tapendra Karki of the newspaper Rajdhani, in Bhaktapur, Kathmandu

 

On 9 May in the town of Dhangadi (in the western district of Kailali)

 

Devraj Joshi of Swarnim Nepal

Nawaraj Khanal of Mountain Television

Ranga Timalsina of the Dhangadhi Post

 

On various dates

 

Akkal Kunwar of Sagarmatha Television, in Kathmandu

Ankit Adhikari of the Kathmadu Post, in Kathmandu

Basu Satyal of Avenues Television

Ganashekhar Sharma, a media union adviser, in Chitawan district

Govinda Ghimire

Hari Upreti Bhuwan

Karna Chanda of Triveni FM in Doti district

Milan Parajuli

Mohan Shahi of the newspaper Kantipur, in Doti district

Prakash Bam of Triveni FM in Doti district

Prakash Gyawali

Pranab Kharel of the Kathmadu Post, in Kathmandu

Punya Dhamala of Sagarmatha Television

Radheshyam Dahal

Rajendra Acharya

Rajendra Pokhrel of Nepal News

Rajesh Chamling of Sagarmatha Television

Raksha Regmi

Rohit Bhandari of Mountain Television

Saral Gurung of Sagarmatha Television

Satish Subedi of Sagarmatha Television

Shaligram Nepal, the president of Press Chautari, in Chitawan district

Shambu Prasai of Sagarmatha Television

Shishir Simkhada of Radio Nepal, in Chitawan district

Tek Chanda of Triveni FM in Doti district

 

Threats and harassment

 

Radio Kantipur FM’s studio in the central district Lalitpur was surrounded on 20 May by demonstrators demanding favourable coverage of their community.

 

Dharminda Saha of Samachar, a daily based in the western city of Dhangadhi, received a phone call on 13 May in which he was told to stop covering the current demonstrations.

 

In a note to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) on 13 May, the Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN) accused the media of opposing a federal system and threatened to boycott media that covered the proposal negatively.

 

NEFIN general secretary Ang Kaji Sherpa also warned that he would disperse media demonstrations and would “finish off” journalists if they dared to stage a counter-offensive. “We have heard that the Federation of Nepali Journalists is organising a protest rally against our strike,” he said. “If it happens then we would not spare the journalists.”

 

The chairman of NEFIN, Raj Kumar Lekhi, meanwhile contradicted the organization’s general secretary. He reportedly asked demonstrators to stop attacking the media and insisted on NEFIN’s respect for the press.

 

The FNJ and other journalists’ unions and media associations such as the Revolutionary Journalists Association (RJA), the Nepal Press Union and Press Chautari have condemned the threats and attacks. After lodging a complaint with the interior ministry, they organized a demonstration on 20 May against violence against journalists.

 

The government, which has begun negotiations with ethnic and religious groups, has condemned the attacks on the media and has urged protesters to calm down.

 

Attacks on media property

 

Demonstrators attacked a vehicle owned by the daily Rajdhani as it was being used to deliver newspapers in Butawal, in the western district of Rupandehi, on 11 May. They also attacked the journalist Dinesh Pande when he tried to protect the vehicle.

 

A vehicle owned by the daily Nagarik was damaged by Muslim protesters in Inaruwa Chowk, in the eastern district of Sunsari on 10 May.

 

The vehicles of other media including Kantipur Publications, Kantipur Television, Karobar Daily, Kantipur TV, Himalaya TV, Avenues TV, Nepal 1 TV, Citizen FM, Gorkhapatra Daily, Lumbini Television, News 24 Television, Annapurna Post, Radio Lumbini and Mechi Kali have been attacked in recent days in various parts of the country including the capital.

 

In Kathmandu, demonstrators set fire to 60 copies of the Kantipur and Kathmandu Post newspapers and to the motorcycles of Himalaya TV cameraman Y.P. Ghimire and Nagarik reporter Govinda Pariyar.

 

Nepal is ranked 106th out of 179 countries in the 2011-2012 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.