An international press freedom watchdog has said over 1,000 cases of censorship were recorded in 2005, and the big rise was mostly due to the much worse situation in Nepal, where more than half (567) of all cases worldwide were recorded.
In its latest report, the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said since the state of emergency declared by His Majesty King Gyanendra on 1 February this year, Nepali media has receiving a battering which is getting harsher. This has included a ban on FM radio stations broadcasting news, blocking of websites, seizure of equipment and politically-inspired distribution of government advertising.
RSF had recorded a total of 622 cases of press censorship around the world in 2004—little more than that recorded in Nepal last year.
A day after the royal takeover, a soldier stands guard at Radio Sagarmatha F. M. in Lalitpur?the first community radio station in South Asia. Photo courtesy: Nepali Times
A day after the royal takeover, a soldier stands guard at Radio Sagarmatha F. M. in Lalitpur—the first community radio station in South Asia. Photo courtesy: Nepali Times
Nepal even topped her northern neighbour, China, described as the “broadcasting Great Wall” by the RSF, in terms of press censorship. The communist regime jammed, among others, Voice of Tibet, the BBC, Sound of Hope and Radio Free Asia with equipment from the French firm Thalès. Media and website editors and publishers get an almost daily list from the government’s propaganda department of topics to avoid, the organsiation said.
At last 63 journalists were killed worldwide in 2005 while doing their job or for expressing their opinions, the highest annual toll since 1995 (when 64 were killed, 22 of them in Algeria). Five media assistants were also killed. For the third year running, Iraq was the world’s most dangerous country for the media, with 24 journalists and 5 media assistants killed. 76 journalists and media assistants have been killed there since the start of fighting in March 2003, more than in the 1955-75 Vietnam War, the RSF said.
Two journalists were killed each in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan last year, the organization said.
The RSF also ranked Nepal at the 160th place in its world press freedom index out of 167 countries surveyed worldwide– consecutively for the second year– in the year 2005. Nepal found a place close to countries including Cuba. Libya, Burma and Iran– notorious for suppressing press freedom in their countries.
RSF also said that many of the 1,308 physical attacks on journalists occurred in Asia.
‘These occurred almost daily in Bangladesh and Nepal and came from all sides – police, government or opposition party activists and members of armed groups,’ RSF said.
Nepali authorities are yet to comment on the latest report by the RSF.
Only last month, newly appointed Minister of State for Information and Communications, Shris Shumsher Rana, said Nepali media was one of the freest in the world. Rana—who is also the spokesperson of the royal government—invited all those who criticized the press freedom situation in the country to visit Nepal and see for themselves to what extent Nepali media was exercising its freedom.