Kathmandu, October 30: Press Council Nepal has expressed serious concern over incidents in which police entered the newsrooms of various media organisations and detained or attempted to arrest journalists.
The Council stated that the incident in which plainclothes police officers entered media offices and detained journalists after office hours on Friday has raised serious questions about press freedom and the professional security of journalists. It said detaining journalists without clearly stating the reasons for their arrest, producing an arrest warrant or demonstrating that court authorisation had been obtained was objectionable.
A statement issued by Press Council Nepal said, ‘Detaining journalists in this manner just before two consecutive public holidays, without clearly stating the reasons for their arrest, producing arrest warrants, demonstrating that court authorisation had been obtained or even clarifying whether a criminal complaint had been filed, is a matter of serious concern.’
The Press Council said the incident, which occurred against the backdrop of a statement issued by the Nepal Police Headquarters, had raised serious questions about press freedom and the professional security of journalists.
The Council stated, ‘The legal responsibility for investigating, monitoring and resolving disagreements over news content published by media outlets, as well as complaints concerning journalistic codes of conduct, rests with Press Council Nepal. Rather than directly mobilising the police over news reports, the Council urges the Government of Nepal, the police administration and all concerned parties to seek solutions through the Council’s established mechanisms and procedures.’
The Council has also demanded the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts of the detained journalists and the legal grounds for their arrest. It has further called for their immediate release if they are being held without a valid legal basis.
The Council reiterated, ‘We urge the authorities to immediately make public the condition of the detained journalists and the legal grounds for their arrest, and to release them without delay if they are being held without a valid legal basis.’
The statement reaffirmed that the Press Council remains committed to protecting press freedom and promoting responsible journalism.
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