Kathmandu, May 3: Nepal Bar Association President Prof. Dr Bijay Prasad Mishra has said that strong vigilance from civil society is essential to protect press freedom and democracy.
Speaking at a program held in the capital on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Mishra said press freedom remains under global risk and stressed that the current generation must continuously work to safeguard it. He added that freedom of the press should not remain only in the constitutional text but must be protected through practical implementation.
Dr Mishra said it is unfortunate for a government with a near two-thirds majority to resort to ordinances instead of seeking the confidence of Parliament.
“Every law should be presented as a bill in Parliament and passed only after adequate discussion,” Mishra said. “It is against democratic practice to suddenly remove officials appointed through meritocracy in the name of ordinances and consider it an achievement.”
He also said that the recent handling of the squatters’ issue and eviction drives, including the use of bulldozers, showed a lack of human sensitivity and violated the constitutional right to housing.
“Displacing citizens by using bulldozers without verifying facts and ignoring legal documents such as approved maps and land ownership certificates is condemnable,” he said.
He further urged the National Human Rights Commission to publish an impartial report on the Gen-Z protests held on September 23 and 24.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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