Journalists and professionals organized protest programs throughout the country against the recently promulgated media ordinance.
Hundreds of journalists and professionals took out a rally in the capital, Kathmandu, protesting the new media laws.
Speaking at a corner meet organized after the rally, media activists said the government has introduced the new law to suppress all kinds of opposition to the royal regime.
Pokhara-based professionals including journalists organized a rally protesting the ordinance to amend Media Acts, which was recently promulgated by the King.
The ordinance is against the norms of present 1990 constitution so it cannot function to curtail the people’s right to information and the press freedom we have been enjoying till date, the demonstrators said. They also burnt a copy of the ordinance.
Addressing the corner meeting after the rally Gangadhar Parajuli, central vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said: “The protest will continue until the government revokes the ordinance.”
A report from Sindhupalchok said that local journalists, human rights activists, teachers, lawyers, students and civilians have flayed the ordinance. They held a protest rally that went past the major thoroughfares of the district headquarters and later burnt copies of the media ordinance.
A report from Mahottari said local journalists torched copies of the ordinance in Jaleshwor, the district headquarters, on Friday. They also organised a protest rally which was supported by agitating political parties and lawyers.
In Nepalgunj, local journalists organised an hour-long meeting at Tribhuvan Chowk, which the local administration had declared a prohibited area, and protested against the ordinance, reports said.
The Pyuthan unit of the FNJ also organised a protest rally Friday in Bijuwar, the main commercial centre of the district. Journalists with black banners walked through the market demanding revoking of the Ordinance, according to reports.
Similar protests were held in Banepa, Narayangadh, Rupendehi, Bara, Dhankuta, Taplejung and Dharan demanding immediate annulment of the recently promulgated ordinance to amend some Media Acts. They also burnt copies of the ordinance.
Meanwhile, professional organisations said they would jointly file a writ petition at the Supreme Court on Sunday to challenge the Ordinance to amend Media Acts, promulgated on October 9.
A writ drafting team under the leadership of UML leader and advocate Subash Nembang almost completed the draft today and would file the case on Sunday on behalf of six professional organisations representing doctors, school teachers, university teachers, lawyers, journalists and engineers.
Representatives of the professional organisations collected one rupee each from the 500 participants of the protest rally in Kathmandu to pay the registration fee of the writ.
The new media law—that will last for only six months unless re-promulgated—has banned criticism of the King and royal family members and broadcast of news by FM radio stations. The law has also raised the fine for journalists and publishers for defamation up to Rs 500,000 or two years of imprisonment or both.
The authorities, however, say the law had to be introduced to make the media dignified and responsible.