Freedom Forum said the incident is a clear violation of press freedom.
This statement was originally published on nepalpressfreedom.org on 22 December 2021.
A group of journalists were barred from reporting on a parliamentary meeting on December 21. Six journalists regularly reporting on the parliamentary affairs were not allowed to enter the space for reporting yesterday in the federal capital, Kathmandu.
Makar Shrestha, senior journalist at the Kantipur National Daily, said, “The parliamentary meeting was scheduled for the approval of two ordinances which lasted for 26 minutes. Earlier we used to report on the meetings, sitting in the gallery of the meeting hall, but this time they asked us to watch the meeting on the screen for reporting.”
When they asked why this was the case they were told that it was an order from higher officials, Shrestha further informed.
Freedom Forum is concerned about the incident as it is a sheer violation of press freedom.
FF strongly urges the authority to respect journalists’ right to freely report and ensure a free reporting atmosphere in the future.
