The Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has decided to launch phased protests after the Chhath festival to safeguard press freedom, freedom of expression, and journalists' professional rights.
A meeting of the FNJ central committee held at its central office on Thursday under the chairpersonship of President Nirmala Sharma made eight decisions and concluded that the federation would launch protests against the government.
The meeting described the incidents in which police entered newsrooms and detained journalists as an attack on the entire journalism sector. The federation has demanded an independent investigation into the incidents and action against those responsible.
Similarly, the FNJ decided to urge the government to withdraw the ordinance related to the Press Council Act, which it said had been introduced unilaterally without consulting the stakeholders. The federation also said that it would request President Ram Chandra Paudel not to issue the ordinance.
The federation stated that forcibly dismissing journalists from government and private media outlets, including Gorkhapatra, withholding their salaries, and denying them festival allowances amounted to serious violations of labor rights.
Likewise, the meeting decided to urge the government to follow the recommendations of the Press Council Nepal regarding proposed cuts to the amounts newspapers receive under the public welfare advertising scheme.
The FNJ also decided to activate the Professional Alliance for Peace and Democracy (PAPAD) to protect press freedom, freedom of expression, and the Constitution.
The meeting further decided to lobby lawmakers and hold discussions with them to raise the federation's agenda in Parliament, as well as draw the attention of the international community that supports press freedom and freedom of expression.
Announcing the meeting's decisions, FNJ General Secretary Ram Prasad Dahal said that the federation would launch phased protest programs after Chhath to press the government to address its demands.
