Prakash Singh said he was threatened after taking a photograph of the Sports Committee office and inquiring about sports activities.
(Freedom Forum/IFEX) – Freedom Forum expresses concern over the growing incidence of press freedom violations across the country.
Freedom Forum’s attention has recently been drawn towards an incident that occurred in Bajura, a district in the far-western region of the country, on March 1, 2011. Chief of the District Sports Committee, Nrip Singh Baduwal, leveled a death threat against journalist Prakash Singh, accusing him of covering a story about the Sports Committee.
Singh said he was threatened by Baduwal because he took a photograph of the District Sports Committee office and inquired about sports activities.
Baduwal used foul language against Singh and threatened to take his life if the news was published. This came after he was asked why his office had not been conducting sports activities in the district for eight months.
Freedom Forum’s attention has also been drawn to another incident. Journalist Hira Man Lama, from Namobuddha FM in Kavre district, near the capital, was issued a death threat over the telephone by an unknown person on March 1.
The death threat was made against Lama demanding he stop a programme named ‘public hearing’, related to local administration news, which airs on Namobuddha FM. Lama is the co-coordinator of the programme.
Freedom Forum, as an organization working for freedom of expression and the right to information, condemns mistreatment meted out against journalist and the violation of people’s right to receive information. Both incidents are violations of the right to information. Freedom Forum urges Baduwal to respect the right to information by providing the information that Singh required. Moreover, local administrations are urged to investigate the incidents and bring the guilty parties to book.
