Threats against journalists in eastern Nepal alarm UN human rights officials
United Nations human rights officials in Nepal are voicing concern over continued reports that journalists operating in the country’s eastern Terai districts are facing serious threats and intimidation.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Nepal issued a press statement yesterday from Biratnagar in which it said it had received at least nine reports of threats against journalists in that region since the start of May.
Many journalists have also told OHCHR that they increasingly feel insecure in Nepal, where a decade-long civil war that killed an estimated 13,000 people ended in 2006 with a peace accord. Political tensions still persist in the South Asian country.
“The situation jeopardizes the right to freedom of expression and the right to liberty and security of journalists, who are at the forefront in defending the rights of other peoples,” according to the press statement.
“Freedom of expression is fundamental in a society that respects human rights and is a core element of a democratic society.”
The office stressed the need for State authorities in Nepal to build an environment in which media professionals can feel they can carry out their work free of threat or intimidation.