Media Action Nepal expresses serious concern over arrests, intimidation and police pursuit of journalists
KATHMANDU | October 30 : Media Action Nepal expresses serious concern over the arrest of journalists and police attempts to locate several other reporters in a series of incidents inside newsrooms across Kathmandu on Friday (October 30). These developments raise serious concerns about press freedom, journalists’ safety, protection of sources and the freedom to report on matters of public interest.
- Bishwamani Subedi of Nepal Press and Shobhraj Baral of Motivate News were arrested by police on Friday. Meanwhile, plainclothes police personnel visited the offices of Naya Patrika daily and Diyo Post online seeking journalists Navaraj Mainali and editor Sudip Bishwakarma, respectively.
- According to Nepal Press, three individuals in plain clothes entered its newsroom while Subedi, who covers security and crime, was working. The individuals reportedly arrived in a police van and entered the office by telling the security guard that they had come to meet someone.
- They asked Subedi to accompany them for a discussion concerning a news report. However, they did not present an arrest warrant, according to journalist Rajaram Neupane, who was present in the newsroom. The individuals reportedly identified themselves as personnel from the Crime Investigation Division and cited an order from the Inspector General of Police.
Subedi reportedly offered to accompany them on his own motorcycle but was taken away in a police vehicle. Nepal Press said it was unable to contact him by phone and had received no official explanation from police regarding his detention.According to police sources cited by the Nepal Press, the Crime Investigation Division detained Subedi at the request of the Cyber Bureau.
The sources claimed that the detention was linked to a Nepal Press report concerning alleged pressure on the Inspector General of Police to resign, with investigators seeking to identify the source of the report. Subedi was reportedly expected to be handed over to the Cyber Bureau.
- In a separate incident, Shobhraj Baral of Motivate News was reportedly taken away by plainclothes police personnel for questioning. According to an account provided by a colleague of Baral to Media Action Nepal, around five police personnel arrived at the media outlet after an unidentified caller had contacted the office. The officers showed police identification cards but did not provide a clear explanation or formal detention order. His whereabouts and legal status require clarification from the authorities.
- At Naya Patrika, plainclothes personnel reportedly entered the newsroom and sought journalist Navaraj Mainali without providing a clear explanation for their actions. Khagendra Pant of Naya Patrika told Media Action Nepal that the officers insisted on taking him for questioning.
- Similarly, Diyo Post Editor Rita Budhathoki shared receiving calls from unidentified numbers seeking the location of their office, alongside threats directed at editor Sudip Bishwakarma. His phone was reportedly switched off, and his whereabouts could not immediately be confirmed.
The incidents, involving arrests, attempts to locate journalists and the absence of clear explanations for police action, risk creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation within newsrooms, said Umesh Pokharel, Chairperson of Media Action Nepal. Such actions can discourage journalists from reporting on matters of public interest and undermine the media’s watchdog role in a democratic society.
Media Action Nepal stresses that journalists must not be subjected to arbitrary arrest, intimidation or harassment for carrying out their professional responsibilities. Any investigation involving journalists must strictly adhere to due process, respect constitutional guarantees and provide clear legal grounds for police action.
Media Action Nepal stresses that journalists must not be subjected to arbitrary arrest, intimidation or harassment for carrying out their professional responsibilities. Any investigation involving journalists must strictly adhere to due process, respect constitutional guarantees and provide clear legal grounds for police action.
The Constitution of Nepal guarantees freedom of opinion and expression under Article 17 and the right to communication under Article 19. These constitutional protections are fundamental to independent journalism and democratic accountability.
Press Council Nepal is the body mandated to handle grievances over published content. Entering a newsroom under pretext or sitting in it to demand a reporter without a warrant or stated grounds violates Article 17(2)(a) on freedom of expression and Article 19 on the right to communication. It also breaches Article 20 on the rights of the detained, including being told the grounds of arrest, access to a lawyer, and production before a judicial authority within 24 hours. Pursuing journalists’ sources threatens the confidentiality of sources, a cornerstone of press freedom.
Media Action Nepal urges Nepal Police and authorities to immediately disclose the legal grounds for the arrests and police attempts to locate the journalists, and refrain from intimidation, arbitrary detention and actions that obstruct independent journalism or compromise confidential journalistic sources.