A UN agency has said latest press restrictions introduced early this month will harm the process for holding free elections and has urged the royal government to reconsider the new law.
In a statement issued in Paris on Monday, Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said the new curbs on media rights contained in this ordinance would indicate that the situation is getting worse. “All these acts represent attacks on the independence of the media, and therefore on democratic progress,” he said.
The new law, introduced on October 9, endorses restrictions on accreditation for reporters and increases fines for breaking restrictions that include a ban on private radio stations.
Only last week, King Gyanendra issued orders for parliamentary elections to be held by April 2007. Municipal elections are scheduled for Feb. 8, next year
‘’At a time when the planning of democratic elections has been announced in Nepal, legislation that justifies censorship and curtails the ability of media professionals to do their job can only appear to be incompatible with a free and open electoral process,” Matsuura said.
There has been no word from the government regarding the UN statement. The authorities earlier said new law had been essential ‘’to manage’’ the Nepali media.
Journalists plan to protest the law by holding demonstrations and challenging the legislation in the Supreme Court, according to reports.