Press Council Nepal Raises Serious Concern Over Arrest of Kishor Shrestha and Police Action at Jan Aastha Office
Dragon Media Correspondent
Press Council Nepal has expressed serious concern over the arrest of Jan Aastha Weekly Editor-in-Chief and senior journalist Kishor Shrestha, as well as the police search of the publication’s office and the seizure of computers and other media-related materials.
In a statement issued on Thursday by Council spokesperson Deepak Khanal, the regulatory body said Shrestha was arrested on Wednesday night, his private residence was searched, and police entered the Jan Aastha office the following morning and confiscated various materials.
The Council stressed that any complaint or objection concerning published news content should be addressed through established press-related procedures and prevailing laws. It also recalled that Press Council Nepal has the statutory responsibility to examine complaints relating to the accuracy of published reports, compliance with the journalists’ code of conduct and professional practices of media organisations.
The Council indicated that the arrest of a journalist and police action inside a media house over a matter linked to published content had raised questions concerning press freedom, freedom of expression and the respective jurisdiction of state institutions.
It said an independent press plays a vital role in guaranteeing citizens’ right to information and stressed that all concerned parties have a responsibility to uphold the dignity and freedom of the media.
The Council maintained that institutional mechanisms established to address disputes over media content should be respected. It further said that any legal process involving journalism or published material must be pursued with due regard for constitutional guarantees of press freedom and established norms governing the media sector.
Nepal Police arrested Shrestha in Lalitpur on Wednesday evening. Police have said he is under investigation in connection with an alleged offence relating to individual privacy.
Police also searched the Jan Aastha Weekly office on Thursday morning. According to the Press Council statement, the police team took computers and other materials from the office.
Following Shrestha’s arrest, several media organisations, including the Federation of Nepali Journalists and Nepal Media Society, have protested the action and argued that disputes arising from journalistic content should be handled through established legal and press-related mechanisms.
Journalists led by the Federation of Nepali Journalists also staged a protest and sit-in outside the Kathmandu District Police Range office on Thursday.
The arrest of Shrestha and the police action at the Jan Aastha office have further intensified debate over press freedom, the right to privacy and the limits of criminal investigation in matters directly related to journalism and published news content.
