Pokhara—Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Gandaki Province chapter and Kaski chapter have submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, urging the government to amend the newly imposed penal codes, in Pokhara on Wednesday.
FNJ Gandaki Chairman Tribhuban Paudel submitted the memorandum to PM Oli via Gandaki Province Finance Minister Kiran Gurung and FNJ Kaski Chairman Dipendra Shrestha submitted that memorandum to acting Chief District Officer of Kaski Ganga Bahadur Chhetri.
As per the memorandum, the provisions confined in criminal code and civil code that came into effect since August 17, 2018 have openly challenged the press freedom and rights to expression. So, the FNJ Gandaki and Kaski have demanded the government to make those codes press friendly.
Some of the lines of penal codes could curb the press freedom and could slap the serious charge to the journalists, on the basis of any circulated matter. “There is not covered anywhere in penal codes that the provisions confined in those codes are not applicable to the journalists,” the memorandum reads- the codes could also bar the journalists from practicing the investigative journalism and to take photo and video footage.
FNJ Gandaki and Kaski have also urged the government not to include above mentioned provisions in criminal codes rather to put in civil codes. It has also been urged that the newly imposed codes should follow the spirit of the constitution of Nepal which guarantee the full press freedom.
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