National 3 (Spotlight Weekly)

Walking On A Tightrope

The growing conflict in the country is taking a heavy toll on Nepalese media

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Different newpapers : Troubling times

Nepalese journalists celebrated this year’s World Press Freedom Day (May 3) amid gloomy atmosphere. Since the breakdown of ceasefire in August 2003, five journalists have already died – two at the hands of Maoists, two at the hands of security forces and one by unknown assailants.

At least 12 journalists have already lost their lives since the civil war broke out. More than 26 journalists have already been permanently displaced from their native. Moreover, hundreds of journalists were detained by the security forces after they took part in the agitation organized by the political parties to protest police brutalities.

The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) has been organizing its own movement against the present government demanding the resignation of Home and Information/Communication Minister Kamal Thapa.

According to a report revealed by FNJ on April 18, 110 journalists got disappeared at different times since the imposition of emergency in November 2001. It also adds that the journalists have faced several kinds of obstruction in their efforts to exercise freedom of expression. Around 26 journalists were displaced from their areas of work.

Media In Movement

Although there is a uniformity of opinion as regards the heavy toll on media due to ongoing conflict, the recent involvement of journalists in political agitation has drawn a mixed reaction. Media analysts and senior journalists have given mixed reaction to the manner Nepalese press acted in the political demonstrations last week.

While everybody has condemned the police atrocities against the press during the demonstrations on April 16 and 17 when over 300 journalists were arrested by police, there are some media analysts who have raised their eyebrows in what they call as ‘display of political activism by press’.

“It is very natural for press to express solidarity for the cause of democracy and there is nothing to raise any question about that. However, the overtly partisan nature of their involvement could ultimately hurt the credibility of press itself,” said Dhruba Hari Adhikary, senior journalist and media analyst. “I urge Nepalese media to exercise self-discipline and rise above party politics while making use of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of freedom of expression; press and publication right; and the right to information. Besides, at a time when there is no elected parliament in place, media has an added responsibility of having to play the role of effective watchdog.”

On April 16, police had arrested over 75 journalists who were in the field reporting the demonstrations organized by five political parties demanding the end of regression. The police had even beaten some of the journalists – two of them were kept in custody overnight.

This outrageous action was widely denounced by journalists, political parties and civil society. However, the government continued to exhibit its tough stand when it rounded up more than 200 journalists from different parts of the capital on April 17 when they tried to hold rallies to protest the police atrocities of the previous day. They were later released in the evening. The government claimed that it had only tried to enforce its prohibitory orders – it has imposed prohibitory orders against gathering of more than five persons in several parts of Kathmandu city claiming that there is Maoist infiltration in the five party agitation. The political parties have been defying the government prohibitory order saying it was aimed at diffusing their agitation.

Many see the police action as being the direct result of the increasing press coverage of political parties favoring the latter’s line in the current agitation.

In a hard-hitting article in his paper Nepal Samacharpatra daily, editor and publisher Pushkar Lal Shrestha expresses his disenchantment with the behavior of journalists. “Is it the duty of journalist to come out in the street shoulder-to-shoulder with the politicians? Doesn’t that mean that journalists have lost faith on the power of their pen? Should the journalists not advocate for democracy through their pens rather than by taking to streets?” asked Shrestha.

Mana Ranjan Josse, a senior journalist and a noted media commentator, is also dissatisfied. “The police highhandedness was highly regrettable. But make no mistake; there is another side of this coin. When journalists engage in political activism and when they breach the legally imposed prohibitory orders, how can they be treated any different?” he asked.

But many journalists differ with his viewpoint. “This is the naked breach of press freedom. We express our solidarity with the democratic struggle,” said Taranath Dahal, president of Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ). The federation has vowed to keep on supporting the political parties and has demanded resignation from the Home Minister Kamal Thapa, who also holds the portfolio of Information and Communication for the police atrocities. “We are not prejudiced in our action. We cannot imagine press freedom in an environment that is not democratic. If somebody stands to gain from our position, that’s a different matter, but our struggle will continue,” he added.

Rajendra Dahal, editor of Himal Khabarpatrika, a leading fortnightly magazine, agreed, “This is a time when overall democratic process in the country has been derailed. This situation, if allowed to continue, is going to have direct impact on press freedom in the days to come. So there is nothing wrong for the journalists to side with the political parties over the issue of restoration of democracy.”

Pradeep Ghimire, secretary of the Center for Human Rights and Democratic Studies (CEHURDES), an NGO involved in monitoring of media, said, “We believe the recent actions by the government to be a part of a plan to usurp media freedom.” He added, “Regarding the charges that journalists acted in partisan manner, it is again the government to be blamed. Had the police not acted in the manner they did on April 16, the journalists would not have gone that much closer to the political parties in subsequent days. In addition to that, nobody should forget that press freedom is an integral part of democracy and without democracy there will be no press freedom.”

The five parties – Nepali Congress (NC), Communist Party of Nepal – Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), People’s Front (PF), Nepal Workers and Peasants Party (NWPP) and Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP- Anandidevi) – have been organizing their agitation for the past one and a half year opposing King Gyanendra’s action of October 4, 2002 when he dismissed an elected government and replaced it with his own hand-picked one. The parties have been demanding the reinstatement of parliament, which was prematurely dissolved on June 2002, and the formation of all party government under their recommendation. Their latest phase of agitation, which started on April 1, 2004, has gained momentum with several professional organizations including federation of journalists actively lending their support to them.

Political leaders have already supported journalists for launching their own struggle for democracy. “I take responsibility for what happened to journalists. I urge you to continue to protest this unconstitutional government,” said Girija Prasad Koirala, president of NC and former prime minister, when he visited journalists in detention.

Subas Nemwang, senior leader of CPN-UML, has said that the agitating parties were wholly behind the journalists at this hour. “We condemn the government action of beating journalists and arresting them.”

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), several human rights organizations as well as international organizations active in monitoring and promoting press freedom like Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), World Association of Newspapers (WAN) and International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) have already denounced the government action and have urged it to respect media freedom. "This unprecedented wave of arrests shows the government and security forces’ hostility to independent coverage of pro-democracy demonstrations,” said Reporters Without Borders, in a letter to Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa.

Following the widespread condemnation, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa tendered his apology. “The government is concerned for the inconvenience caused to journalists and the Nepali press society,” PM Thapa said in a statement. “It could have happened due to the failure of the security personnel to differentiate between the agitators and the journalists,” Thapa said, adding, “More caution is the need of the hour.” In the same vein, PM Thapa also expressed his commitment to democracy, human rights and press freedom. “The government will work to ensure that news can be gathered and disseminated freely.”