Nepal

(FNJ/IFEX) - The Seven Party Alliance and the Maoists, in their written suggestion to the Interim Constitution Drafting Committee, stressed the need to guarantee freedom of the press and expression. The Nepali Congress, in its proposed draft Constitution, has suggested that, keeping in view the special role that the press played during the people's movement, the press should be established as the...

(FNJ/IFEX) - Maoist chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, has expressed Maoists' commitment towards press freedom, multiparty democracy and human rights. Addressing an interaction organized by the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) in the capital on Thursday (29th June 2006), the Maoist supreme leader said that the development of the Nepalese media after 1990 has been positive. He...

KATHMANDU: The Nepalese media that was vibrant and proud even during 14 months of King Gyanendra's absolute rule is today hanging down its head in shame amid reports that journalists received money from the Royal government. The Nepalese government revealed that about 90 journalists affiliated with various news media received money during the period of royal direct rule to "write about the peace...

King Gyanendra and Maoist rebel leader Prachanda, the instigators of many killings, attacks and arrests of journalists, were removed today from the Reporters Without Borders list of Press Freedom Predators because the king has ceded power to parliament and government, and Prachanda signed a political accord with Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala on 16 June undertaking to respect democracy and...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - The Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), a Kathmandu-based freedom of expression monitoring group, condemns the threat against journalist Binod Tripathi by Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) - Maoist rebels. Maoist cadres threatened Tripathi over a news report published in "Kantipur", a leading private-sector daily, on 11 June 2006, which said the rebels had set...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES condemns the act of burning of copies of a leading newspaper by a religious group and the manhandling of a photojournalist by police personnel. On 24 May 2006, a group of protesters stopped a vehicle belonging to Kantipur Publications Ltd. at Parawanipur, some 15 kilometres from the southern town of Birgunj. They took out all 1,700 copies of the newspaper and burnt them...

(RSF/IFEX) - Reporters Without Borders has welcomed a Supreme Court ruling on 18 May 2006 suppressing article 8 of the 1992 National Broadcasting Act and article 15 (1) of the 1991 Publications and Newspapers Act as incompatible with a constitutional provision guaranteeing press freedom. The first article gave the government the right to cancel the licences of radio and TV stations that broadcast...

(FNJ/IFEX) - In a meeting on 9 May 2006, the Council of Ministers annulled three ordinances - including the controversial media ordinance - promulgated by the former royal government. Talking to reporters at the Prime Minister's official residence after the cabinet meeting, Minister for Land Reform and Management Prabhu Narayan Chaudhari said the government has decided to scrap or review all the...

The sixth central committee meeting of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) was conducted today, 1 May 2006, at the central office of the Federation in Media Village. The meeting was conducted under the leadership of President Bishnu Nisthuri. In the meeting, members discussed and made decisions about the situation of press freedom and freedom of expression; the future strategy...

(CEHURDES/IFEX) - CEHURDES has condemned the acts of intimidation and threats against a group of journalists by Maoist cadres in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu. On 28 April 2006, Maoist cadres aggressively questioned, threatened and harassed Kumar Shrestha, a photo-journalist with Himalayan Films Pvt. Ltd., Amit Sthapit of "Yuva Hunkaar" and Bimal Raj Gautam, Shrestha's assistant, as they were...