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Mission reminds Nepal: No excuse for deferring press freedom

(CPJ/IFEX) - May 31, 2012 - The following is a CPJ Blog post:

Elisabeth Witchel/CPJ Impunity Campaign Consultant

As Nepal's constituent assembly failed to meet Sunday's deadline for the passage of a new constitution, a new report released this week on the risks to Nepal's media should remind political parties that peace and stability are not prerequisites to media freedom but rather that a strong, independent press operating without fear is a requirement for a healthy civil society.

On Saturday, the International Media Mission to Nepal (IMM), a team of representatives from more than a dozen international organizations, released "Safeguarding media rights and ending impunity in Nepal." The publication details the findings and recommendations of the group's fact-finding and advocacy mission to Nepal earlier this year. In February, the mission's members met with a range of stakeholders including government officials, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, representatives of political parties, dozens of journalists, members of civil society groups, and family members of killed journalists. Two teams visited the cities of Biratnagar and Janakpur, where journalists have been victims of attacks often carried out with impunity.

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Download the mission report:
nepal_cpj_IMM_mission_report.pdf (1816 KB)