Nayapatrika Daily reporters Umesh Poudel and Janardan Baral were issued threats of attack over the news the daily published about a networking business fraud.
This statement was originally published on nepalpressfreedom.org on 12 September 2017.
Two reporters with Nayapatrika daily, Umesh Poudel and Janardan Baral, were issued threats of an attack over the news the daily published on 11 September in Kathmandu. Kathmandu, the capital city, lies in Province No 3 of Nepal.
Talking to Freedom Forum, Nayapatrika’s bureau chief Janardan Baral said, “Before publishing the article on ‘Networking business fraud through gravity currency’, I called Gyan Prasad Poudel to ask for a quote for the story but he threatened me to not publish the piece. However, the story was published; thereafter he called Umesh Poudel by mobile at 7:30 am and threatened to use his power and connections even from ‘high-level security officials’ to attack them.”
Gyan Prasad Paudel is marketing chief of a networking business which is illegal in Nepal.
“A few minutes later a person named Jitendra (identifying himself as a party cadre) called on my mobile and threatened, ‘I do not know what news you have published but GP Poudel has filed a case against the journalists. So why did you write the story about him?'”
The journalists filed a complaint at the Police office and provided the mobile numbers of those who had issued the threats.
Freedom Forum condemns the threats issued to working journalists over their news reporting. It is a gross violation of press freedom. Exposing illegal activities going on in society is the duty of professional journalism. Hence, FF urges the concerned authority to take immediate action againsy the perpetrators and help ensure a free and fair atmosphere of reporting for journalists. The police official must stay informed to obviate any untoward incident against the reporters.
