The United States Department of State in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2018 has included Nepal’s freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and human rights issues.
Even though Nepal’s constitution guarantees freedom of expression and press, the report has referred journalists, NGOs, and political activists who said that the government restricted media freedom by threatening journalists and news organizations that criticized the government.
Attributing journalists and NGOs, the report added that the new criminal and civil codes and Privacy Act criminalized normal media activity, like reporting on public figures and triggered a significant increase in self-censorship by the media.
“Human rights lawyers and some journalists stated that both the constitution and civil code enable the government to restrict freedom of speech and press in ways they considered vague and open to abuse,” the report said adding that citizens believed they could voice their opinions freely and often expressed critical opinions in print and electronic media without restriction.
The report has also mentioned the voice of several editors and journalists who reported they faced intimidation by police and government officials and that vague provisions in new laws and regulations prompted an increase in self-censorship by journalists.
The report has mentioned the barring of the accredited private media journalists from covering the swearing-in ceremony for newly appointed governors of the seven provinces in the president’s office.
Likewise, it has further stated about the firing of a talk show host who in May 2018 had asked Minister of Communications and Information Technology Gokul Baskota about the source of his wealth and how it was reported to the public.
The report has referred to the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), which said that the government did not make efforts to preserve the safety and independence of the media and rarely prosecuted individuals who attacked journalists.
Comment