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KATHMANDU, June 15: Thirty-five news media editors in Nepal have expressed serious objection to the issuance of arrest warrant against journalist Dilbhushan Pathak based on the Electronic Transactions Act.
In a joint statement, the senior journalists said it was regrettable that a law designed with a different motive was being misused to arrest journalists.
"It is condemnable to deploy the police force flaunting the strength of the government despite a clear legal provision that one can go to the Press Council or the court if they are not satisfied with the content being circulated," the statement said.
35 editors issue joint statement condemning misuse of law in Pa...
The editors have demanded that the government and parliament immediately revoke the arrest warrant against Pathak and amend the provisions of the Electronic Transactions Act that curtail freedom of expression.
Similarly, they have also expressed serious disagreement with the recent order of the Kathmandu District Court to remove and ban the publication of news published online like Bizmandu and NepalKhabar.
They argued that forcing the media to remove the news without giving them a chance to be heard and to impose a pre-ban on publication is a violation of constitutional rights. "We draw the serious attention of the judicial leadership towards this," the statement said.
The statement was signed by a diverse group of editors representing various media outlets and journalistic backgrounds. Among the signatories were Amit Dhakal, Aman Koirala, Arun Baral, and Amod Pyakurel. Umesh Chauhan, Upasana Ghimire, Kamala Panthi, and Kiran Nepal also lent their support. Notably, respected editors such as Kunda Dixit, Krishnajwala Devkota, and Khagendra Pant were included as well. Other signatories comprised Gunaraj Luitel, Janak Nepal, J.B. Pun Magar, Dharmaraj Dahal, and Namrata Sharma. The list further featured Poonam Poudel, Prashant Aryal, and Basanta Basnet.
Biswas Baral, Mohan Mainali, Rameshwar Bohra, and Ramji Dahal also endorsed the statement. Laxman Upreti, Bijay Poudel, and Shiva Gaunle were among the contributors, along with Sanjeev Sharma and Saint Gaha Magar. The remaining signatories included Sudhir Sharma, Sujan Oli, Sujit Mahat, Suresh Raj Neupane, Sonia Awale, and Hari Bahadur Thapa. Their collective endorsement signifies a unified voice within Nepal’s media landscape on the matter addressed in the statement.
