President Sharma: Government Has Yet to Earn Public Trust in Protecting Press Freedom

April 20, Kathmandu – Nirmala Sharma, President of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, has expressed concerns about the current government’s commitment to safeguarding press and freedom of expression. In a message on the occasion of Press Freedom Day, President Sharma highlighted a recent rise in incidents targeting newspapers and media outlets, stating that the government has not yet instilled confidence in its protection of press freedom as enshrined in the constitution.

“Currently, the government is led by the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP). The Federation remains skeptical about whether this government will uphold the protection of press and freedom of expression, ensure the fundamental rights of the people, and preserve democratic culture as guaranteed in the constitution,” she asserted.

President Sharma described the state of press freedom as increasingly complex and emphasized the need for unity among various professional organizations and civic leaders across the country to safeguard freedom of expression. According to the federation’s media monitoring unit, there were a total of 131 press freedom violations in the fiscal year 2079/80, compared to 73 in the previous year and 62 the year before that, showing a troubling upward trend. Additionally, journalists and media outlets faced 30 attacks, 18 cases of threats to professional safety, 26 instances of seizure and obstruction, 3 policy restrictions, and 2 arrests of journalists. The unit also reported one suspicious death of a journalist.

President Sharma further noted that during the Janga Movement, communication media suffered losses amounting to tens of millions of rupees, and five journalists were shot in clashes, which made the press freedom situation even more challenging. She pointed out that a culture of impunity for crimes against journalists, the fragile financial conditions of media houses, and risks to both the professional and physical safety of journalists continue to exacerbate the crisis in press freedom. Moreover, ongoing economic difficulties in the media sector, journalist migration, the government’s withholding of advertisements and information from private media, as well as the spread of misinformation on social media platforms, present additional obstacles that the media must confront.