KATHMANDU, June 7: Nepal Press Union (NPU) – a media trade union of democrat journalists – has strongly condemned an incident of threat and mental torture meted out to journalist over the coverage of news in hamrakura.com – an online news portal.
Issuing a press release today, Union President Badri Sigdel deplored the press freedom violation incident in which a group of seven persons at the directive of All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNISU) Chairperson and parliamentary member Nabina Lama stormed into the newsroom of hamrakura.com and threatened working journalists at 7.00 pm on June 6.
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The group headed by Bhupendra Shahi who claimed himself to be a central member of ANNISU central member.
Arbitrary entrance into media newsroom and issuing threat to editor over phone is a brazen violation of press freedom, states the release. "It is condemnable to enter into the media house and force to remove news despite adopting legal ways to lodge complaint at Press Council if the content is not satisfactory".
The Union has strongly demanded the government to create environment for exercising constitutionally-guaranteed freedom of expression and of press, ensure full physical security to journalists and prevent such incidents in future, reads the release.