Nepal: media worker threatened, arrested for covering farmers' issue
Event- Country
- Nepal
- Initial Date
- Jun 10, 2020
- Event Description
News chief at www.tukhabar.com (an online web-based portal) Balaram Pudasaini was misbehaved by a local Ramesh Gelal for reporting news on June 9 in Makwanpur district. The district lies in Bagmati Province of Nepal.
According to Freedom Forum's representative Rammani Dahal, journalist was reporting on difficulties farmers had to face while buying fertilizers in a place at Hetauda. In the meantime, Gelal pushed him back and verbally abused him without any reason in the presence of police officers.
Later, Police arrested Gelal and has charged him under indecent behavior following the complaint filed by journalist Pudasaini and other fellow journalists.
Freedom Forum condemns the misbehavior meted out to on-duty journalist. It is gross violation of press freedom and right to information. Abusing on-duty journalists who are working on field to make public informed about the social issues, even ignoring the possible risks of transmission of COVID19 is deplorable. Hence, FF strongly urges the concerned authority to punish the perpetrator and ensure free and safe reporting atmosphere for journalists.
- Impact of Event
- 1
- Gender of HRD
- Man
- Violation
- (Arbitrary) Arrest and Detention
- Intimidation and Threats
- Judicial Harassment
- Violence (physical)
- Rights Concerned
- Offline
- Right to healthy and safe environment
- Right to liberty and security
- HRD
- Media Worker
- Perpetrator-State
- Police
- Perpetrator-Non-State
- Non-state
- Source
- Monitoring Status
- Pending
- Event Location
Latitude: 27.436309053328547
Longitude: 85.00864502035358
- Event Location
- Summary for Publications
On 10 June 2020, Balaram Pudasaini mediamworker, was assaulted and threatened by a local villager, and then later arrested by the police for covering farmers' issue in Makwanpur district, Nepal.