Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, April 18:

Four journalists have been killed — three by the state and one by the Maoists — after the breakdown of a ceasefire between the government and the Maoists in August last year till date, a report released here today said. Those killed by the state include Binod Chaudhari and Nagendra Pokhrel of Janadesh weekly and Padam Raj Devkota of Karnali Sandesh while the Maoists killed Gopal Giri, a journalist and mayor of Birgunj Municipality. Saying that press freedom in Nepal is in a difficult situation, the report said that the whereabouts of 11 journalists is still unknown. Similarly, a total of 10 journalists faced life threats including two from the state, seven from Maoists and one from an unknown group. The report, prepared by Press Freedom Monitoring Committee of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), said a total of 26 journalists were forced to leave their work area or house. It said that the state and the Maoists both are harming freedom of the press, and the state is motivated to the use of force rather than initiating legal action against scribes.

“The Maoists are taking action and terrorising journalists working in the districts,” it said.

The FNJ report has stressed the need to set up fund to assist insurgency-affected journalists. It FNJ president Taranath Dahal said press freedom is passing through a critical phase. “There is need of cooperation from all sides for protection and promotion of press freedom.”