News coordinator at https://mulpatra.com/ Ramesh Bharati has been receiving multiple threats for publishing news since July 6.
Talking to Freedom Forum, journalist Bharati shared that news about Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA)’s President Bhuwan Singh Gurung’s alleged involvement in swindling around 2.95 million rupees from two women, whom he had promised to send abroad. The news also quotes victim women’s application registered at Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Division, Teku dated July 4 demanding action against people to whom they had transferred the money. According to the victims Ashmita Basnet and Ankita Chaudhary’s application, those people are associated with the overseas company owned by President Gurung.
After receiving information from Basnet and Chaudhary, news was published in the media on July 6. Following this, NAFEA issued a statement on the same day, signed by General Secretary Mahesh Kumar Basnet stating that the media published a fabricated and baseless news to defame President Gurung. Terai Foreign Employment Agencies Society’s First Vice-President Akhtar Hussain threatened the media and journalist Bharati to delete the news or face consequences. Hussain also urged everyone to through NAFEA’s official Facebook page to start campaign to unfollow and report the media’s social media page to block it.
Journalist Bharati further informed FF that few people also called him and said that they knew every details about his family members including his eight-months old daughter and asked whether he wanted them to be safe. “I have been reporting on issues of human trafficking for eight years and I will not stop. I am well aware about my rights as a journalist. But I am concerned about my family’s safety”, said Bharati.
Freedom Forum condemns the incident. Threatening a media and journalists for publishing news is a gross violation of press freedom. There is a legitimate way to express concern over the published news at the Press Council Nepal. FF strongly urges the concerned to approach the Council instead of threatening journalists or media. A journalist has every right to report on the public issues following the journalistic code.
Also, the local authority is requested to pay heed to safety of journalist Bharati.
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