KATHMANDU, June 14: Thirty-five editors from across Nepal have strongly condemned the arrest warrant issued against journalist Dil Bhusan Pathak under the Electronic Transactions Act, calling it a blatant misuse of legislation intended for other purposes.
In a joint statement, the editors expressed serious concern over what they described as an attempt by the government to weaponize a law designed to regulate electronic transactions in order to suppress press freedom.
“It is deplorable that the authorities are deploying police power against a journalist despite clear legal avenues—such as the Press Council or the courts—for addressing grievances related to published content,” the statement reads.
The editors have called for the immediate withdrawal of the arrest warrant and urged the government and parliament to amend the restrictive provisions of the Electronic Transactions Act that curtail freedom of expression.
They also voiced strong opposition to the recent orders issued by the Kathmandu District Court directing online portals Bizmandu and Nepalkhabar to remove news content and halt publication.
Issuing takedown orders or pre-publication bans without providing media outlets a chance to be heard constitutes a serious violation of constitutionally protected rights, the editors said. “We urge the judiciary to take serious note of this matter,” they added.
The statement was issued jointly by Amit Dhakal, Aman Koirala, Arun Baral, Amod Pyakurel, and Umesh Chauhan. Also among the signatories were Upasana Ghimire, Kamala Panthi, Kiran Nepal, Kunda Dixit, and Krishnajwala Devkota. Khagendra Pant, Gunaraj Luintel, Janak Nepal, JB Pun Magar, and Dharmaraj Dahal also lent their support to the statement.
The statement further includes endorsements from Namrata Sharma, Poonam Paudel, Pratik Pradhan, Prashant Aryal, and Basanta Basnet. Biswas Baral, Mohan Mainali, Rameshwar Bohora, Ramji Dahal, Laxman Upreti, Bijaya Paudel, Shiva Gaunle, Sanjeev Sharma, Santa Gaha Magar, Sudheer Sharma, Sujan Oli, Sujit Mahat, Suresh Raj Neupane, Sonia Awale, and Hari Bahadur Thapa were also among the editors who signed the statement.