NEPAL: Journalists make their case against the new press law

The proposed press law would legitimize restrictive measures taken against journalists since Feb. 1 royal move, say Federation of Nepalese Journalists organizers

By Vincent Lim
AsiaMedia Contributing Writer

Monday, June 13, 2005

"Draconian."

It is the word Nepalese journalists frequently use to describe the royal government's proposed press law that would legitimize the measures taken to limit press freedom in Nepal since the February 1st declaration of the state of emergency.

The law, which journalists continue to protest against, expands upon existing restrictions that prevent the media from speaking negatively about King Gyanendra who is considered to be responsible for dramatically limiting press freedom in Nepal. If the law were enacted, journalists would be unable to criticize the King or any of the members of his royal family.

The law would further act to legitimize existing restrictions by increasing the fine for speaking out against the King. Under the proposed press law, the penalty for writing negatively criticizing the King would be raised from Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 500,000.

Increasing the fine would be significant because of the shaky financial state of the independent media in Nepal, which is in part a result of the government's decision to provide government advertisements to state-run media outlets exclusively.

For Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) secretary Balaram Baniya, the purpose of increasing the fine is clear: "This is a design to silence the media that already is passing through a serious financial crisis," Baniya said.

The press law also appears to fall in line with the royal government's current policy of backing media organizations supportive of its policies.

Under the proposed law, no single media organization would be allowed to run three different forms of media. Baniya believes the provision is intended to curtail the influence of Kantipur Publications Pvt. Ltd., which is the largest media outlet in Nepal. The media house, which opposes the policies of the royal government, runs a TV news network, English and Nepali daily newspapers and a popular FM radio station.

Running a popular FM radio station may be another factor in the royal government's decision to target Kantipur Publications as Baniya suggests.

Before Feb. 1, Nepal had a total of 47 FM radio stations, which was the highest number of radio stations in the entire South Asian region. FM radio stations, once a chief source of reliable information for many people living in Nepal, are now barred from broadcasting news and are quickly losing revenue. The royal move has left up to 2,500 radio journalists unemployed and some FM stations on the brink of bankruptcy.

The ban on FM radio news broadcasts is another reminder to journalists working in Nepal of how freedom of press has been seriously challenged in recent months.

"Post February 1, the entire media fraternity in Nepal has been left utterly shaken," Baniya said.

The proposed press laws stands out as another reminder.

"The new press law is nothing but an attempt to legitimize whatever repressive, authoritarian measures were taken in the aftermath of the February 1 [coup]."

Following the lifting of the state of emergency on Apr. 30, journalists in Nepal remained skeptical about the possibility of the royal loosening restrictions on press freedom.  With the announcement of the proposed press law, the Nepalese media's doubts continue.

"The lifting of the state of emergency is not enough for it has made no difference so far as the press freedom is concerned," Baniya said. "Whatever policies and orders were introduced before the lifting of the state of emergency are still there. They were introduced for the sole purpose of curtailing press freedom and they continue to do so even now."

Date Posted: 6/13/2005

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