Press freedom is not a matter of the prime minister’s benevolence, Parliament must investigate police crackdown
Summary
Police entered several Nepali media houses, detained journalists and drew condemnation over an apparent crackdown on press freedom. The article calls for a parliamentary investigation into who ordered the operation and under what legal grounds it was carried out.
Key Points
- Police entered multiple Nepali media houses and detained journalists after reports about intermediary Inam Sapkota and his links to Supreme Court justices were published.
- The article says the government and Prime Minister’s Office must be politically accountable even if they were not directly involved in the arrests.
- It argues that releasing detained journalists does not answer the central questions of who ordered the operation and whether due process was followed.
- The piece urges Parliament and political parties to launch an immediate investigation into the incident and protect press freedom.
