Drop Charges against Pathak, stop misusing ETA: Media Action Nepal
KATHMANDU | June 11 – Media Action Nepal strongly condemns the Government of Nepal’s (GoN) decision to deploy police officers in plainclothes to apprehend journalist Dil Bhushan Pathak merely for exercising his journalistic duties. As of 7:30 PM today, officers were reportedly stationed near his residence at the Amrapali Banquet area in Bhatbhateni, Naxal, in Kathmandu.
The Kathmandu District Court has issued an arrest warrant against Pathak under the controversial Electronic Transactions Act of 2008 (ETA) The action follows a complaint linked to a video published on his YouTube channel Tough Talk, where Pathak claimed that Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba’s son, Jaybir Deuba, had purchased the Hilton Hotel in Naxal.
Media Action Nepal expresses grave concern over the use of the ETA in this case, a law originally intended to regulate electronic transactions, not muzzle journalists.
“The ETA has repeatedly been weaponized to suppress independent media in Nepal. It is unacceptable and dangerous,” said Laxman Datt Pant, Founder and the Executive Director of Media Action Nepal. “This is an utter violation of power and a direct attack on press freedom. We urge the GoN to immediately withdraw the case and cease the misuse of this draconian law.”
The ETA has repeatedly been weaponized to suppress independent media in Nepal. It is unacceptable and dangerous. This is an utter violation of power and a direct attack on press freedom. We urge the GoN to immediately withdraw the case and cease the misuse of this draconian law.
Earlier today, Pathak has reached out to the Press Council Nepal (PCN) and the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ), urging institutional response and reminding authorities of proper legal channels. Sending an email, he emphasized that in matters concerning media content, the rightful route is through the PCN, not criminal prosecution. Pathak, in his letter to media watchdogs, questioned the legitimacy of the action taken against him and denounced the lack of transparency surrounding the arrest attempt.
“If the authorities have concerns regarding the news broadcast, the PCN is the legitimate first step,” Pant added. “Misusing criminal provisions to target a journalist instead of following due media accountability mechanisms is deeply troubling.”
“The growing trend of harassing journalists using the authoritarian-era laws signals a crisis in democratic values,” Pant warned. “We call on the GoN to be accountable and to immediately halt this targeted intimidation of journalists.”
Media Action Nepal has also called upon the authorities to act with responsibility and uphold Nepal’s constitutional guarantees of a free press. These actions set a chilling precedent and fuel fear among journalists, Pant noted. “The authorities must respect fundamental rights, stop weaponizing the law, and ensure that a free and independent media can operate without fear or interference.”