The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has welcomed the ten-point agreement between the Nepal government and the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), which led to the cancellation of a nationwide demonstration over growing attacks on the media.
In signing the agreement on January 5, Information and Communications Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara reportedly said that the government would make a firm commitment in ongoing debates in the Nepali Constituent Assembly, to safeguarding press freedom and ensuring the security of journalists and media houses.
According to the information received from IFJ affiliate FNJ, the ministry will create a special bureau to receive all complaints of press freedom violations, which would promptly refer all such cases to the appropriate official bodies for action. There would also be a special task force constituted to propose a long-term policy on press freedom and journalists' safety.
The agreement also embodies a commitment on the part of the government to investigate and initiate legal action against those believed responsible for recent attacks on the media in Nepal.
"We note that within a day of the agreement being signed, there were both positive and negative developments on the media front in Nepal," said Jacqueline Park, IFJ Director for the Asia-Pacific. "On the positive side, one union affiliated with Nepal's ruling Maoist party lifted its siege of the offices of the media group Kantipur in the district town of Biratnagar, allowing the group to resume operations. This allows time for the media management to implement all clauses of the relevant labour agreement in line with the applicable laws."
"However, on the negative side, we note that the Maoist union raised its banner at the office of the media group APCA Nepal, in defiance of a judicial injunction and in disregard of the established norms for recognition of a union".
IFJ urged all sides in Nepal to ensure that the law on recognition of unions is scrupulously followed and that there is no coercive takeover of established workers' bodies.
