National 5 (Spotlight Weekly)

Ringing Bells Of Alarm

The recently concluded general convention of the FNJ calls all to respect the right of media

By A CORRESPONDENT

The recent general convention of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) held in Biratnagar concluded by approving a 23-point proposal demanding for the protection and respect of rights of media workers by all and sundry.

Having been held at a time when the media sector was facing atrocities from right and left, the convention thoroughly discussed the state of media in the country. The proposal condemns the tendency to curb the movement of journalists with the intention to stop the flow of information. It also condemns the practice of abducting and disappearing the journalists. It has urged the concerned parties to immediately release three journalists in the captivity of the state and two in the captivity of the Maoists.

Of late, the Nepalese media has found itself in an awkward and uncomfortable situation. Having to work in one of the most difficult of circumstances emanating from the bloody conflict, the Nepalese media professionals have been hard placed to carry out their duties without the fear and intimidation.

Although the atrocities against the media had continued ever since the beginning of the conflict and more markedly after the imposition of the state of emergency in November 2001, the events of the last couple of weeks have forced the journalists to sit up and ponder their situation.

The brutal killing of Radio Nepal journalist Dekendra Raj Thapa in Dailekh district by the Maoists highlighted the problem faced by the media. The problem was particularly serious because it occurred even as teams of rights activists and journalists had been working with the Maoist leaders to effect his safe release. His killing was preceded by dire warnings by the Maoists to some Dailekh based reporters who were threatened that their hands would be chopped off. Their ‘crime’ was to report incidents of extortion. Likewise, this incident was followed by ‘death threats’ issued to ten more journalists.

More than three weeks after the incident, the Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara has written a letter to the FNJ stating that there is no policy of harming the journalists on their part.

In response to the letter written by the Maoist spokesperson Krishna Bahadur Mahara clarifying the Maoist policy of not harming any media persons, the FNJ has asked them to walk their talk. The letter was written two weeks after the deadline set by the federation had expired regarding its demand for the clarification of the Maoist policy vis-à-vis free press in the wake of the killing of Thapa.

In the letter, the Maoists have claimed that their local functionaries killed Thapa in violation of their policy.

According to Tara Nath Dahal, president of the FNJ, the Maoists need to implement their policies on the ground. “They could start by immediately releasing two journalists Dhan Bahadur Roka and Kul Bahadur Malla from their captivity,” he said, warning, otherwise, the rhetoric would be meaningless. The federation had mulled even boycotting the Maoist-related news in case the latter did not mend their ways.

Apart from responding to the Maoist atrocities, the FNJ convention also severely condemned the recent attacks against media houses in the capital. On September 1, mysterious elements attacked the buildings of Kantipur Publications, Spacetime Publications and Channel Nepal and caused damages worth millions of rupees. The mob, which had gathered ostensibly to condemn the brutal killing of 12 innocent Nepalese by terrorists in Iraq, turned their fury on these media houses for no obvious purposes.

The FNJ has asked the government to conduct impartial investigation about these attacks. It has also deplored the security bodies for failing to provide security to the media houses.