Nepal marks Press Freedom Day; reporting of violations increases

Various events are organized across the country to celebrate the day.

Nepal Freedom Forum, an organization dedicated to the field of press freedom, released a report on press freedom violations.

The report pointed out that between May 1, 2025 and April 30, 2026, a total of 97 violations of press freedom occurred in Nepal, affecting 145 media personnel and 20 media organizations. This was higher than the 68 violations of press freedom registered the previous year.

The report said there had been a recent increase in threats, attacks and obstruction against journalists, with 28 threats and death warnings, 21 assaults and 18 obstructions reported last year.

Additionally, eight cases of arson, five court cases and four arrests were reported during the review period, the report said.

On the occasion, Nepal Journalists Federation organized a rally at Madigarh Mandala with the theme “Shaping a peaceful future: Promoting press freedom for human rights, development and security”.

Addressing the rally, National Human Rights Commission member Manoj Duwadi said freedom of press and expression were crucial to human rights.

He added that the National Human Rights Commission has always stood for the protection and promotion of human rights.

Professor Bijay Prasad Mishra, President of Nepal Bar Association, assured that we will provide moral support in terms of legal remedies for any obstruction or impediment to freedom of expression and freedom of press.

“Freedom of press and freedom of expression are constitutional rights and therefore should not be hindered,” FNJ president Nirmala Sharma said at the rally.

“Journalists have cast doubt over the activities of the Balendra Shah-led government on press freedom over the past month.

One of the powerful examples of government interference in the media is the government’s recent move to prevent private media from running government advertisements,” she said, adding, “In doing so, the government is trying to silence the Nepali media. “

However, Communications and Information Technology Minister Bikram Timilsina said the government was “fully committed to the constitutional right to freedom of press and expression”.

In his speech on the day, the minister described a free, fair and accountable press as a fundamental pillar of democracy, emphasizing its important role in ensuring public accountability.

This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.