Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu, July 14:

Representatives of an international media mission on a visit to Nepal today said they found Nepali journalists were facing “severe harassment” from both the government and Maoists. The mission toured the country to assess the Nepali media after the February 1 royal takeover. Jacqueline Park of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), one of the members of the mission which visited Biratnagar and Dharan, told this daily that the meida persons were under “seige” and were facing “psychological harrassement” from both the sides. She said they met a journalist held by the Maoists for 56 days in Ilam and another who was held by the army in Jhapa and beaten up for nine days. She said they were concerned about economic blockade imposed by the government on the independent media and the ban on news broadcast in independent radio. Shawn Crispin, Asia Consultant for the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said his team visited Butwal where he found that the journalists were in a state of “insecurity”.

“They presented a portrait of insecurity,” Crispin said, adding, “Journalists from the region are under immense pressure, not just from the RNA or the Maosits, but also from a growing band of vigilantes.” Their only defence from attacks of the three sides are their pens and conscience, he said, adding that they faced sub-censorship for certain political news, particularly if that news casts the army in unfavourable light. Executive director of the London-based Article-19, Agnes Callamard, who visited three districts in the Mid-West, found that

“security of the media workers were deteriorating”. “We want that rule of law be fully respected,” she said. Meanwhile, Federation of Nepalese Journalists exhibited banned mobile phones at New Baneshwor and the Movement for the Protection of Independent Radio collected opinion polls about the requirement of news in independent radio. Coordinator of the movement Ghamaraj Luitel said a large number of people cast their votes in favour of news in independent radio.