ATTACK ON JOURNOS
Hard-Pressed
In a recurrence of pre-Jana Andolan situation, independent media is facing growing attacks
By SANJAYA DHAKAL
Journalists displaced; media houses attacked; reporters thrashed; publications stopped; and independence of media compromised.
Nepalese journalists had thought that with the ushering in of democracy after the successful Jana Andolan II, their nightmare was over for good. Unfortunately, events of past three weeks have suggested that press freedom is as fragile these days as it used to be in the past.
Worse, the attack against journalists have continued with heightened frequency and deepened intensity.
Just on February 4, a section of agitators belonging to Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF) – which is spearheading the Terai agitation – severely thrashed journalists in Biratnagar.
In a naked breach of press freedom and freedom of expression, the protesters were seen searching journalists wearing jackets signifying their profession and attacking them with precision.
“They asked me to get off the motorcycle and started beating me with sticks,” said Bikram Luitel, a reporter belonging to Nepal FM and Nepal Samacharpatra daily.
Five journalists were similarly thrashed by the workers of MJF when they were trying to cover a peace rally near Tankesinwari area. The victims informed that the workers of the Forum surrounded and thrashed them. The journalists who were injured by the beating include Bikram Luitel of Nepal FM, Mohan Manandhar of Nepal Television, Shambhu Bhandari of Nepal-1 Television, Binod Bhandari of Kantipur daily and Bijaya Pathak, editor of Birat Darpan, Bijaya Pathak. A motorcycle belonging to Luitel was also vandalized. The injured journalists were later rushed to a local hospital. The journalists were reportedly beaten for “not favoring news about the Forum.”
On January 28, protesters in Birgunj city targeted media houses and reporters. According to reports, the protesters even went around the city looking for particular journalists belonging to Kantipur publications, the biggest media house in the country. On the same day, a section of protesters vandalized the station of Radio Birgunj. The FM station was targeted by the protesters who set fire to a generator as well as four motorcycles belonging to radio workers. According to Dipendra Chauhan, news coordinator of the FM, the protesters continued to rampage the station for 15 minutes. This led to obstruction of its broadcast for a while.
It was only after police arrived that the protesters fled. They also unsuccessfully tried to attack Narayani FM station. They tried to attack the Parsa chapter of Federation of Nepalese Journalists.
The mob not only tried to attack media houses but also physically thrashed some reporters. One photo journalist named Ram Sharraf had to be rushed to hospital after he was badly beaten by the mob. Other journalists including Dhruba Shah and Bhuwan Jha were also beaten.
Shocked by the sudden burst of targeted attack against the media community, the editors of daily newspapers of Birgunj decided to stop publishing their newspapers from January 30. They have asked the demonstrators to apologize and compensate.
In another Terai district of Rautahat, too, Shiva Puri, a journalist working for Kantipur daily, was threatened by a protester called Ram Krishna Gupta. He was threatened with his life if he did not publish news in demonstrators’ favor.
For the past two weeks, parts of eastern and central Terai (also known as Madhes region) have been going through violent unrest triggered by movement launched by a little-known Madhesi Janadhikar Forum (MJF). The forum had called the movement demanding amendment in the interim constitution to introduce provisions on federalism and fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies based on population.
Nearly one-half of Nepal ’s population resides in plain areas known as Terai. The people of Terai have said that they are suffering from discriminatory policies of the central government. Although many other political parties and organizations have supported the demands raised by MJF, they have been taken aback by the violent mode of the protests that have paralyzed the entire eastern and central Terai.
According to the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ), in recent days, the situation of press freedom has become fragile in districts like Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Siraha, Saptari, Dhanusha, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa and Kapilbastu.
In many districts, publications of some newspapers have been stopped owing to threats and obstructions in movement due to constant curfew. FNJ president Bishnu Nishthuri said Morang-based journalists were receiving regular threats where publications of three dailies have simply stopped. The FNJ added that dozens of papers have suspended publications.
In Bara, two journos have been displaced from their area of work. Similar situation is faced by journalists in Birgunj. On February 1, photojournalists Nitesh Mathema of Bypass daily and Ram Sharraf of Annapurna Post daily were attacked by Armed Police personnel in Birgunj when they tried to cover news during curfew. Later the APF issued a statement instructing its officers to facilitate journalists.
Following these incident, the FNJ has drawn the attention of everyone concerned towards the deteriorating plight of independent media. The federation has already dispatched various teams to monitor the situation of press freedom in the districts wracked by violent demonstrations.
The Federation has expressed grave concern over the unabated and targeted attack against media persons amid the ongoing agitation in Terai. FNJ president Nishthuri, who recently returned from a field trip to Terai, revealed that journalists there were “facing attacks from the agitators who accuse them of writing less news about agitation.” The FNJ has appealed to the organizers of protests and agitating community to keep their promise of not hurting media personnel or media institutions.
Due to continuing and blatant attack against media houses and journalists, the situation of press freedom and freedom of expression has worsened.
