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Government urged to adopt free press recommendations

(CPJ/IFEX) - CPJ urges the prime minister to encourage the Constituent Assembly to incorporate changes recommended by the International Fact Finding and Advocacy Media Mission before the constitution is finalised.

April 6, 2012
Dr. Baburam Bhattarai
Prime Minister of Nepal
The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
Singhadurbar
By facsimile: + 977 1 4211 086

Dear Prime Minister:

The International Fact Finding and Advocacy Media Mission to Nepal that met with you in February has finished its review of specific provisions from the country's draft constitution that the Constituent Assembly will finalize by May 28. As one of the groups on the mission, the Committee to Protect Journalists urges you to encourage the assembly to incorporate the group's recommended changes before the constitution is finalized. The review and recommendations pertain to freedom of expression, the right to information, and freedom of the press.

In a 2011 analysis on Nepal, CPJ noted that political in-fighting has encouraged anti-media attacks, and that a failure to address violence against journalists both before and after the 2006 peace accord has established a deeply entrenched culture of impunity in the country. On the mission, we were encouraged by our interactions with representatives of Nepal's vibrant press, and by your own expressed wish to ensure that the constitution holds the strongest possible protections for journalists' rights.

Read the full letter